Giants beat: Giants coach struck by ball, airlifted to hospital.
SURPRISE, Ariz. — Giants first-base coach Jose Alguacil was seriously injured and taken by helicopter to a hospital in Phoenix after being drilled on the left side of his face, near the eye, by a foul ball in the eighth inning of Saturday’s 2-0 loss to the Royals.
Early Saturday evening, Alguacil underwent successful surgery at St. Jospeh’s Hospital to repair a broken nose and close deep lacerations on the left side of his face, according to a Giants spokesman, who said Alguacil also sustained small fractures in his eye socket.
Alguacil was alert and walked to a golf cart on his own power after the scary incident at Surprise Stadium, which occurred as Alguacil, manager Bruce Bochy and other coaches were sitting on folding chairs along the fence behind and to the right of home plate.
Royals outfielder Hunter Dozier checked his swing on a pitch from Neil Ramirez. The ball was redirected and hit Alguacil, who immediately went down, bleeding heavily. Alguacil was wearing sunglasses, which were knocked off his head.
“It’s so dangerous here,” Bochy said. “The ball gets to you so quick. I barely saw it.”
Giants trainers immediately held a towel to Alguacil’s head as members of the Royals’ medical staff raced over to help.
Bochy heard Alguacil say he was OK as he walked to the cart.
“That’s good news,” Bochy said. “I don’t think he lost consciousness.”
Alguacil was taken to the trauma center at St. Joseph’s. Bochy was planning to go to the hospital on his way back to Scottsdale.
Coaches and managers are not allowed to sit on the warning track near the dugout in the regular season, but usually do so in spring training.
“It’s so close,” Bochy said. “It’s not smart of us, especially in this park to be sitting there. But it’s what we do here. This park is probably the closest out of all of them. Most of us have been hit. Unfortunately it caught him in the eye area.”
Alguacil is a longtime Giants coach and last year managed at Triple-A Sacramento. This is his first year as first-base coach.