Baltimore Orioles manager Craig Albernaz was hit in the face by a foul ball from second baseman Jeremiah Jackson during a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on April 13. He was evaluated by medical staff and returned to the dugout 45 minutes later.
First-year Baltimore Orioles manager Craig Albernaz was struck in the face by a foul ball off the bat of his second baseman, Jeremiah Jackson, in the fifth inning of the team's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday, April 13 at Camden Yards.
Albernaz, 43, was positioned in his usual spot in Baltimore's first-base dugout when Jackson looped a line drive measured at 70.6 mph off his bat. It struck Albernaz in the side of the face and he was immediately escorted down the tunnel to the Orioles' clubhouse by coaches and players.
The ball came up on Albernaz quickly, leaving him virtually helpless to avoid the baseball, though he turned his head and perhaps absorbed a more glancing blow.
Albernaz, the Orioles said, was evaluated on site by the team's medical personnel and returned to the dugout some 45 minutes later.
Jackson hit a grand slam one inning after his foul ball struck Albernaz as the Orioles came all the way back from a 7-1 deficit, pulling ahead of the Diamondbacks 8-7 on Pete Alonso's two-run homer in the seventh.
Albernaz has the Orioles off to an 8-7 start entering Monday night's game, which put Baltimore tied atop the AL East alongside the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays.
Albernaz previously had worked as a coach for the Rays (2015-19), San Francisco Giants (2020-23) and Cleveland Guardians (2024-25).
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Orioles manager struck in face by foul ball in game vs. Diamondbacks
Craig Albernaz was struck in the face by a foul ball from Jeremiah Jackson while in the dugout.
After Albernaz was hit, the Orioles came back from a 7-1 deficit to win the game 8-7, highlighted by a grand slam from Jackson.
The foul ball that struck Albernaz was measured at 70.6 mph.
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