Baltimore Orioles' Heston Kjerstad Scratched From Lineup After Getting Hit in Head

A benches-clearing brawl ensued when New York Yankees closer Clay Holmes hit Baltimore Orioles outfielder Heston Kjerstad in the head with a pitch on Friday, and the young slugger wasn't ready to go on Saturday.

Jul 12, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles trainer Brain Ebal tends to outfielder Heston Kjerstad (13) after being hit by a pitch in the head during the ninth inning against the New York Yankees at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. | Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

The Baltimore Orioles' beef with the New York Yankees reached a boiling point Friday night, and it came at a cost to the O's.

Yankees closer Clay Holmes took the mound in the ninth inning of a three-run game, looking to earn a save in the pouring rain. With one out and nobody on, Holmes plunked Orioles left fielder Heston Kjerstad in the head with a 97 mile-per-hour sinker, taking his helmet clean off.

Kjerstad immediately went down to the ground. Manager Brandon Hyde came out to check on his player, then chirped at Holmes and started yelling at the Yankees dugout.

That sparked a benches-clearing brawl between the two teams, all while Kjerstad was removed and replaced by Austin Hays. Kjerstad underwent tests after the game, which New York won 4-1.

"It is scary," Hyde said. "You never wanna see anyone get hit, especially above the neck."

Complete chaos in the Yankees-Orioles game as the benches cleared after Heston Kjerstad was hit in the head with a pitch pic.twitter.com/9W3ecV7gKR

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) July 13, 2024

Kjerstad was initially announced as the Orioles' starting left fielder and No. 6 hitter on Saturday, but he was ultimately scratched shortly before first pitch. Hays will once again take his place in the field.

According to The Baltimore Banner's Andy Kostka and other reporters, Kjerstad was not feeling 100% during pregame warmups. The Orioles eventually placed him on the 7-day concussion injured list, recalling outfielder Kyle Stowers from Triple-A Norfolk to fill out the roster.

We have made the following roster moves: pic.twitter.com/Mjh8XjTEtB

— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) July 13, 2024

The 25-year-old outfielder didn't find much success in April or May, but he has been on a tear since coming back up from the minors. Kjerstad is batting .314 with a .946 OPS on the season, including a .378 batting average and 1.141 OPS since June 24.

Kjerstad entered 2024 as the No. 5 prospect in Baltimore's farm system and the No. 32 prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline.

Here is the lineup the Orioles will be trotting out against the Yankees in game two of their divisional series at Camden Yards, down Kjerstad after all:

1. Gunnar Henderson, SS
2. Adley Rutschman, C
3. Anthony Santander, RF
4. Ryan O'Hearn, DH
5. Jordan Westburg, 2B
6. Ryan Mountcastle, 1B
7. Colton Cowser, CF
8. Austin Hays, LF
9. Ramón Urías, 3B
SP: Grayson Rodriguez, RHP

First pitch is scheduled for 4:05 p.m. ET.

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