Benches clear as Orioles' Blaze Alexander breaks hand on HBP
USA Today • • sports
Key Points:
- The Baltimore Orioles swept the Kansas City Royals 8-2, but lost their top hitter, Blaze Alexander, who suffered a non-displaced fracture in his left hand after being hit by a pitch from Royals reliever Lucas Erceg.
- The incident occurred in the seventh inning, leading to both dugouts and bullpens emptying, though no punches were thrown and no players were ejected.
- Erceg apologized, stating there was no intent behind the pitch and explained that Alexander's frustration may have stemmed from his quick pitching motion.
- Alexander, who leads the Orioles with a .312 batting average and has been hitting .355 since late April, was replaced by a pinch runner and is expected to miss at least a month due to the injury.
- Orioles manager Craig Albernaz plans further tests during the All-Star break to assess Alexander's recovery, which comes at a crucial time as Baltimore aims to remain competitive for a wild-card spot.
