Mickey Storey hit by line drive

Astros reliever Mickey Storey was hit in the side of the face by a line drive in Wednesday night’s game against the Cubs. Storey entered the game in the eighth inning and retired Luis Valbuena before being struck by a liner off the bat of Dave Sappelt. The ball appeared to get a piece of Storey’s hand or shoulder before making solid contact with his right jaw.

Mickey Storey leaves the field after taking a liner off the jaw. (Thomas Campbell-US PRESSWIRE)

Storey immediately dropped to all fours in obvious pain. The rookie right-hander never lost consciousness and after a few minutes he was able to leave the field under his own power.

It’s always scary when a helpless pitcher gets hit in the head by a batted ball, especially after the recent incident involving Oakland’s Brandon McCarthy. The Athletics starter spent nearly a week in the hospital after undergoing surgery for a skull fracture, epidural hemorrhage, and brain contusion. McCarthy is said to be recovering nicely, but was in critical condition for a while.

Early reports are that Mickey suffered a contusion to his right hand and jaw. Let’s hope that’s all it turns out to be. Storey has been a welcome addition to the Astros bullpen since being called up from AAA on August 3, posting a 2.66 ERA and 0.93 WHIP in 22 & 2/3 innings pitched.