Pirates Pitcher Takes Batted Ball to Head
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates had a pitcher deal with a potential serious injury in their most recent outing.
Pirates right-handed relief pitcher Chris Devenski took a batted ball to the head in the Pirates 7-5 win over the Detroit Tigers at Publix Field at Merchant Field on March 13.
Devenski took a 103.5 mph ball off of a 94.2 mph four-seam fastball that he threw against Tigers second baseman Woody Hadeen, that went right off his head, ending in a single in the bottom of the seventh inning.
The Pirates announced that Devenski was alert and that the team's medical staff was currently treating him following the incident.
Right-handed pitcher Jaden Woods came in relief for Devenski and finished off the rest of the seventh inning for the Pirates in their 7-5 victory.
How Devenski Has Pitched This Spring for the Pirates
The Pirates signed Devenski to a minor league deal this offseason and made him a non-roster invitee to Major League Camp for Spring Training.
Devenski has made six appearances out of the bullpen, tied for the most of any Pirates pitcher so far in the Grapefruit League, along with the likes of right-handed pitchers in Yohan Ramírez and Cam Sanders, plus left-handed pitcher Evan Sisk.
He has give up four earned runs over 5.1 innings for a 6.75 ERA, with eight hits and one walk issued for a 1.69 WHIP and a .381 batting average allowed (BAA).
Devenski earned the win in the 4-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays at LECOM Park in Bradenton, Fla. back on March 2, throwing a scoreless inning.
The Pirates will hope that Devenski didn't suffer a serious injury and can pitch more before Spring Training ends.
What the Pirates Have in Chris Devenski
Devenski spent last season with the New York Mets, which included numerous stints, but a solid tenure overall. He posted 2.16 ERA in 13 games, one start and 16.2 innings pitched, with 14 strikeouts to five walks, a 1.79 BAA and a 0.90 WHIP.
He pitched for five seasons with the Houston Astros from 2016-20, where he won the 2017 World Series and also was an All-Star as a rookie in 2016.
Stat | Total |
|---|---|
Record | 16-16 |
Appearances/Starts | 225/7 |
ERA | 3.35 |
Innings Pitched | 309.0 |
Strikeouts/Walks | 332/83 |
WHIP | 1.07 |
Devenski's time away from Houston hasn't been as productive, outside of the backhalf of 2023 with the Tampa Bay Rays, where had a 2.08 ERA over nine appearances.
Stat | Total |
|---|---|
Record | 11-6 |
Appearances/Starts | 91/1 |
ERA | 5.52 |
Innings Pitched | 107.2 |
Strikeouts/Walks | 97/33 |
WHIP | 1.29 |
He's relied mostly on his changeup and his four-seam fastball so far in Spring Training, but has also thrown a sinker, a cutter, a slider and a sweeper as well.
Pitch | Total |
|---|---|
Changeup | 33/80 (41%) |
Four-Seam Fastball | 27/80 (34%) |
Cutter | 7/80 (9%) |
Sinker | 5/80 (6%) |
Slider | 4/80 (5%) |
Sweeper | 3/80 (4%) |
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.