Texas Rangers’ Willie Calhoun suffers fractured jaw after being hit in face by pitch
Texas Rangers outfielder Willie Calhoun sustained a fractured jaw and was hospitalized after being hit in the face by a 95 mph fastball during Sunday’s spring training game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
A CT scan and examination later Sunday revealed the fracture. Calhoun is expected to undergo further evaluation on Monday.
The left-hitting Calhoun was facing Dodgers left-hander Julio Urias in the first inning when a 1-1 pitch caught him on the right jaw or chin. Play was stopped for at least 10 minutes as Rangers coaches and trainers attended to Calhoun, who was on his knees bent over near home plate.
“It’s tough because I’m really really close with Willie,” said Joey Gallo, who was on deck at the time. “He’s one of my best friends, so to see that happen and him go down like that — it was really, really tough to see that. I just tried to be there for him and make sure he knew we were all around him and trying to help him and just praying that he’s OK.”
Calhoun, with his face covered with a towel, was able to walk to a medical cart with assistance on either side. He was driven out of Surprise Stadium and taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital in nearby Phoenix. Replays indicated that the pitch hit Calhoun near the right side of his mouth.
The Rangers wanted Calhoun to be treated by Dr. Jeffrey Edelstein, the Arizona Coyotes team ophthalmologist. Edelstein treated former Triple A hitting coach Howard Johnson when he was hit in the face two years ago by a foul ball in the Rangers’ spring finale.
Rangers manager Chris Woodward and general manager Jon Daniels followed in a separate car to be with Calhoun at the hospital. Bench coach Don Wakamatsu managed the remainder of the game.
“That’s the kind of guy Woody is. He really cares about his players so I’m not surprised at all that he did that,” Gallo said. “The fact that he did that speaks volumes about him.”
Gallo said Calhoun’s parents arrived in town Saturday night.
“If there’s a silver lining I guess that’s good that his parents are at least here to be there for him,” he said. “It was tough to play after that.”
Gallo, who also hits left-handed, wears a flap that covers the right side of his face when he’s facing left-handed pitchers. Calhoun used to wear a similar flap, but stopped last season.
“The first thing I thought when he was hit was ‘man, I wish he was wearing his flap,’” Gallo said.
Calhoun struggled to communicate with Rangers trainers and coaches, Gallo said.
“He didn’t really say anything. He didn’t answer. He was definitely moaning and his mouth was really hurting,” he said. “I think he was hearing [us] but he really couldn’t get anything out.”
Elvis Andrus, whose arm was broken by a wild pitch early in the 2018 season, said the moment took him back.
“All the hard work he has put in, especially the past few years, feeling amazing knowing how important he is to our club,” Andrus said. “To have that happen, it’s a big setback for the team. But it’s a scary moment whether it’s your teammate or the other team.”
Urias said he struggled to concentrate after hitting Calhoun.
“I really had a hard time and I didn’t feel like myself out there. I’ve never been in a situation like that,” said Urias, who asked Rougned Odor for Calhoun’s phone number. “Once I got done pitching, he brought it over on a piece of paper. That early in an inning, you want to go inside and when they ask you to go inside, you have to go inside. Unfortunately, what happened, happened. I pray he’s OK.”
“After the second inning, I kept praying for him,” Urias added. “He was in my thoughts. I went out for the third inning and I have to continue my job. I trust in God, put it in the hands of God and go out and focus on pitching.”
This story was originally published March 8, 2020 at 3:49 PM.
