David Fry back in Guardians clubhouse after being hit by pitch in the face earlier this week

By Canadian Press on September 28, 2025.

CLEVELAND (AP) — All things considered, David Fry was lucky to be walking around the Cleveland Guardians clubhouse before Sunday’s game against the Texas Rangers.

Fry was walking around joking with teammates and talked to reporters five days after being hit in the face on a 99 mph fastball from Detroit’s Tarik Skubal during the sixth inning of Tuesday’s game.

The 29-year old designated hitter and catcher squared around to try to bunt when the pitch struck him in the nose and mouth area.

“It could have been way worse. They just kept saying an inch up at an inch down, we could have had some real problems, but all in all, I feel great,” Fry said.

Fry’s face is still swollen and there are stiches in his nose. He will have a follow-up appointment on Thursday, but is not expected to need surgery.

With two runners on, Fry squared to bunt when Skubal’s pitch drilled him. Fry collapsed in the batter’s box and immediately grabbed his bloodied face as Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt and trainers rushed onto the field. Skubal was visibly shaken as well and threw off his glove and cap.

“The ball started cutting in on me and got me pretty good at a moment where it’s just so fast that there’s no way to get out of the way,” Fry said. “I’m trying to get in there and get the blunt down. I don’t know if I was looking for a changeup, but just waiting for the ball to kind of start tailing away and it started coming at me. I tried to get the bat on (it) as quick as I could, but it didn’t happen.”

Fry’s wife Rebekah, who is seven months pregnant, was watching the game at the family’s home in Louisiana when the play happened. Fry said even when his wife saw everyone else on television panicking, she had a feeling that things were going to be fine.

Fry was hospitalized overnight before being released on Wednesday afternoon.

“She was able to fly in the next day and come see me. But luckily she wasn’t too worried about it. That was my main concern, her and my daughter being worried, but I think they were okay,” Fry said.

Fry’s daughter, Evelyn, turned 2 on Saturday. The Guardians held an impromptu birthday party for the toddler before Saturday’s game that included the players singing “Happy Birthday” and the cast of “Frozen” coming in to sing.

“It’s been a tough week for the Fry family, and so what can we do to help bring some joy to their family right now,” Vogt said.

The Guardians had Fry’s No. 6 jersey in the dugout this week, including Saturday when they clinched a postseason spot with a 3-2 win over the Texas Rangers. Even though Fry won’t be a part of the playoff roster, he will be a presence around the clubhouse.

“He’s such a big part of our team. We missed his presence the first couple months of the year when he was getting back to being ready to hit and the person that he is, the player that he is, the caliber of teammate that he is, he should have been out there with us,” Vogt said.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Joe Reedy, The Associated Press