Ian Happ ‘in good spirits’ after collision in wild game
It was a wild 8th inning for Ian Happ in the midst of a wild 13-12 game in Cincinnati.
A few minutes after Happ hit a game-tying 3-run homer against the Reds, he collided with Nico Hoerner on a popup in shallow center field and left the game on a cart.
Happ was hit in the head and bleeding from the mouth after the collision.
At the time of his postgame media availability, David Ross had not yet talked to the Cubs trainers but did have a chance to speak to Happ directly.
“He feels fine,” Ross said. “Pretty good blow to the face. I haven’t heard the doctor’s report yet but I did talk to Ian and he’s in good spirits.”
The Cubs will determine the next steps for Happ Sunday evening as the team concluded its road trip.
Happ’s homer made it a 12-12 game in the 8th inning and represented the 10th longball combined between the two teams. It was Happ’s 3rd hit of the day as he showed signs of breaking out of his offensive funk prior to the collision.
“Seeing that really kinda got to me,” said Kris Bryant, who hit 2 homers in the game. “Hearing the two of them come together like that, kinda being close to it, I don’t want to see that again. Thankfully he’s in [the clubhouse] — I was talking to him, made sure to let him know that he had a great game. I got a front row seat right there for the home run.
“He always plays well here. Hopefully there’s nothing too serious with him and he can continue to do what he did today because that was huge for us as a team and him in general.”
The two teams combined to score in 12 of the 20 offensive frames, including Nicholas Castellanos’ walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th.
“Felt like a playoff game, to be honest with you,” Ross said. “Back and forth, intense, nobody giving in, guys continue to fight. I’m so proud of my team. This is one of the more intense games I’ve ever been a part of, especially as a manager.
“These guys didn’t give away an at-bat today. I’m just super proud of my team. It felt like blow-for-blow, back and forth, heavyweight fight, wind blowing out in Cincinnati and we just came up on the short end. I couldn’t be prouder of my team.”