BALTIMORE — James McCann had just been struck in the face with a fastball, and as the blood gushed from his nose and mouth, there was one overriding thought racing through his mind.
“I take pride in staying tough, doing what I can to stay on the field,” he said later Monday. “That’s what I was able to do today.”
The pitch was thrown by Blue Jays rookie Yariel Rodríguez, who was struggling with his control before unleashing a first-inning pitch with the bases loaded that hit McCann square in the face
Baltimore’s backup catcher immediately dropped to the ground. He was bleeding profusely when team head athletic trainer Brian Ebel began providing treatment at the plate.
“At first, it’s more scary than anything. It’s like taking a pretty good right hook,” McCann said.
McCann eventually shuffled to first base, but was still bleeding before manager Brandon Hyde sent him to the dugout.
At that point, Rodríguez was removed from the game by Toronto manager John Schneider. During the ensuing delay to allow reliever Brandon Eisert to warm up, McCann continued to receive treatment in the Baltimore dugout.
“I felt like if I could get the blood to stop flowing then I could stay in the game, and that was what I was able to do,” McCann said.
By the time the game was ready to resume, McCann had stopped bleeding and returned to the field, wearing a new jersey and taking his spot as a runner at first base.
“I would go to war every single day for James McCann. But after seeing that, I am convinced that I would be absolutely useless to him,” injured Orioles pitcher Tyler Wells wrote in a social media post. “That’s the toughest SOB I’ve ever met.”
Orioles pitcher Zach Eflin agreed. Pitching his first game for Baltimore after being traded from Tampa Bay on Friday, Eflin praised the catcher for staying in the game under duress.
“What a leader James McCann is,” Eflin said. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like that on a baseball field. I just became his number 1 fan. To be able to go through that and stay in the game, show the grit and determination he has, it’s inspiring.”
McCann was credited with an RBI to give Baltimore a 4-0 lead in the opener of a doubleheader that Baltimore ended up winning 11-5.
He got a standing ovation when he came up to bat with two outs in the third. He played most of the game with a plug in each nostril, and the left side of his face was swollen by the end. He finished 1-for-3 with a run scored.
Hyde said McCann did not have head trauma or an eye injury.
“We’re suspecting he has a broken nose,” Hyde said. “All signs right now are he dodged a major bullet.”