Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Dustin May’s game against the New York Mets ended abruptly. His outing lasted only one pitch. In the bottom of the first inning, during Milwaukee’s 8-1 victory at Citi Field, May was hit by a line drive traveling at 106 mph.
May had thrown a 96 mph fastball to the Mets’ A.J. Ewing. The ball came back toward him faster than it went out. The impact was severe enough that the ball ricocheted to third baseman David Hamilton, who made the play to first base, retiring Ewing.
May, 28, showed clear signs of discomfort. He was seen bending over, clutching the area where the ball hit him. Trainers and manager Pat Murphy quickly attended to him. Despite trying to continue by throwing warm-up pitches, he felt something was amiss.
When I threw it, it felt fine. But sitting there for a couple seconds after, threw the next one, and it didn’t feel right. They were more on the cautious side of, better to be safe now and protect you for later.
May was diagnosed with a bruised right scapula but expressed optimism about making his next start. “I think it all just depends on how I feel,” May added.
Following May’s early exit, the Brewers had to rely heavily on their bullpen. Manager Murphy jokingly mentioned that using May as an opener was part of the plan. Robert Gasser stepped up, pitching 5 1/3 innings and allowing just one run. Grant Anderson and Bryse Wilson also performed well, giving up only three hits over 3 1/3 shutout innings.
This performance marked Gasser’s first relief appearance in his MLB career. Definitely something I haven’t had to experience before. I didn’t even sit down out there.
May, who the Brewers acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals at the trade deadline, is expected to be a key player. With 25 starts this season, he holds a 6-8 record and a 4.56 ERA in 124 1/3 innings.
The Brewers, boasting an 82-51 record, aim to win their series against the Mets, who are 60-73, on Thursday at 7:10 p.m. ET.