Willson Contreras leaves Red Sox game after getting hit in head with 95 mph pitch

LOS ANGELES — Minutes after getting hit in the helmet by a 95 mph fastball in the second inning Friday, Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras left the game.

class="article__paragraph article__paragraph--left" id="R34CID7L3ZBFJKKJEFJ5YODWZE">Contreras took a Will Klein pitch to the head with one out in the inning, then ran the bases and scored but did not come back out for defense in the bottom of the frame. The Red Sox shifted Nick Sogard from second base to first base to replace Contreras and inserted Anthony Seigler at second.

class="ampexcoVideoPlayer">According to the Red Sox, Contreras departed for “precautionary reasons.”

class="article__paragraph article__paragraph--left" id="V4ZZOWIWIRC4HCVICZO2XZLISA">Klein, pitching with two men on base, brushed Contreras back with a high inside fastball at 95.3 mph to start the at-bat. Two pitches later, he hit the slugger right in the side of the helmet at 95.4 mph. Contreras went down to the dirt but got up as interim manager Chad Tracy and a team trainer came out to visit him.

class="article__paragraph article__paragraph--left" id="73VB6SB2SRG65MLVKTBC5XLFO4">The Red Sox then plated two runs off lefty Cole Irvin to took an early 3-0 lead behind All-Star starter Ranger Suarez.

class="article__paragraph article__paragraph--left" id="AGAZZL2NLBD4XDYQ4S4LCV5ODQ">Contreras, who leads the Red Sox with 23 homers and 67 RBIs, is likely being evaluated for a concussion. He had quite the eventful day Thursday in Sacramento as he was the target of Jarren Duran’s outburst in the sixth inning and then later hit the game-winning homer in a 4-3 Red Sox victory.

class="article__paragraph article__paragraph--left" id="2AFQUPOWABB5JLJIGK3P5C4OUM">Contreras struck out in his first plate appearance against opener Edgardo Henriquez.

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