Kurt Suzuki Leaves NLDS Game 5 After Taking Deflected Fastball To The Face

Washington Nationals catcher Kurt Suzuki was taken out of Wednesday night’s Game 5 against the Los Angeles Dodgers when a high-and-tight fastball from Walker Buehler deflected off his wrist and into his face in the top of the seventh inning. The impact was audible, and Suzuki crashed to the ground and appeared to be in a lot of pain:

It’s worth noting that Suzuki wears a C-Flap batting helmet to protect against pitches to the face, but this ball did not take the normal path. What initially appeared to be a direct 94-mph four-seamer to the face was revealed by replays to have ricocheted off Suzuki’s left wrist and into the right side of his face, which was unprotected. Still very scary, still very dangerous, and still probably incredibly painful, but Suzuki was able to stand and walk off the field, with some assistance. He was replaced at first base by backup catcher Yan Gomes.