In the fifth inning, with both the San Diego Padres and the Los Angeles Angels yet to score, Jake Cronenworth was at the plate facing the Angels’ starter, Yusei Kikuchi. The left-hander’s four-seam fastball sharply grazed Cronenworth’s shoulder before it hit him square on the jaw.

A veteran Friar went 1-for-1, clocking in 2 walks for the San Diego Padres on Saturday. However, one of those walks possibly bruised Cronenworth’s face as he got hit by that hit by pitch. While the Padres bounced back with a 4-1 victory, their $80 million infielder’s injury video posted by Talkin’ Baseball on X was nothing but scary!

“Scary moment as Jake Cronenworth was hit in the face with a pitch. He walked it off to first base.”

The Padres’ infielder was able to shake off the HBP to remain in the game.

Cronenworth took the face hit at the top of the fifth while facing a 1-2 count from Kikuchi. The fastball, clocked at 97 mph, first sent Cronenworth to the ground, followed by the Angels’ catcher.

 

After the hitter was examined for several minutes by the Padres’ trainers on the field, he walked to first base. Kikuchi ended the inning after he struck out Ramon Laureano in the next four pitches.

Cronenworth is just in year three of his seven-year, $80M contract extension with the Padres. And a serious injury from a headshot could be a devastating blow to both his season and the team’s investment. Plus, the 32-year-old is not even in his top form like he was in 2020, hitting .285 and ending up being Rookie of the Year.

The two-time All-Star has been a Padres player throughout his MLB career. At 32, he is slashing just .152/.273/.212 in 20 games, hitting only 1 homer and 3 RBI in 66 at-bats this season.

But a former hockey player, Cronenworth, tops the all-time HBP list of the San Diego Padres after being hit 65 times in his 3289 plate appearances. Following the incident that could have easily taken a scary turn, Padres’ manager Craig Stammen appreciated his toughness.

“He’s a hockey player, and he didn’t lose any teeth. So he had to stay in the game,” said Stammen, per MLB.com.

“That was the rule. He took one off the chin, literally, and toughed it out, and then stayed in the game, made some plays for us.”

Following the match, Cronenworth revealed that his first reaction was to check his jaw, which fortunately survived the incident.

Thinking of his strength and versatility, we cannot help but recall when he looked back on his days as a pitcher.

Cronenworth says he would pitch if the opportunity ever comes

Over the years of his MLB career, Jake Cronenworth has played in various infield positions. Cronenworth was a two-way player when the Tampa Bay Rays drafted him from the University of Michigan as an infielder.

The Padres’ primary second baseman has recently revisited his pitching days during an interview with MLB Tonight.

“Yeah, I’ve lobbied a few times for it,” Cronenworth told MLB Tonight.

“I’ve only got one inning in the big leagues. I’ve got a few in Triple-A. I lobby for it all the time.”

His only big-league appearance came in 2021 in the 12th inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

He struck out one while allowing 1 hit in 0.2 innings. Cronenworth made 7 outings as a pitcher in the minor league in Triple-A Durham in 2019.

Across 7.1 innings, he was quite good, having allowed only 4 hits and 2 runs with 9 strikeouts. However, his command was a problem as he walked 8.

When asked about what he would do if he got the opportunity to pitch in a game, Cronenworth expressed his desire to get some outs.

“I would like to legitimately try to get guys out. We’ll see what Craig (Stammen) says when he gives me the ball if that ever happens,” he remarked.

Cronenworth also revealed that he had two pitches, a two-seam and a splitter. The fastball velocity was between 91 and 94 mph, while his splitter was anywhere between 82 and 88 mph.

If the Padres are ever in dire need of a hurler, Stammen surely knows where to look.

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