Braves reliever Jacob Webb sent Kevin Pillar a text on Monday night after the righty hit Pillar in the face with a 94 mph in a scary incident in Atlanta.
Pillar didn’t respond until Tuesday afternoon, but Webb wanted to reassure the Mets outfielder that the pitch wasn’t intentional, though it did lead to multiple nasal fractures for Pillar, who will visit a facial specialist in Atlanta.
“I’m sure he was busy doing other stuff at the time, but he responded,” Webb said on Tuesday. “I told him it wasn’t intentional at all and the pitch just kind of got away from me right there. Other coaches reached out to him as well. Everyone’s been very good about it, and it’s nice to see that everyone cares about him and everything going on.”
Webb was visibly shaken up after seeing a bloodied Pillar on the ground beside home plate, and admitted that Monday night was tough for him, even after the game as he waited to hear the latest on Pillar, who tweeted after the game that he was “doing fine.”
“At that point, it’s a little difficult, just because it had just happened and was so fresh in what’s going on,” Webb said. “But you can’t harp on it too much and beat yourself up. I’m just glad he’s alright. That’s my main concern.”
The hit by pitch forced in a run, the eventual winning run as it made it 2-0 Mets in the seventh in what would be a 3-1 win for New York. But it also continued to raise questions of player safety after Bryce Harper was also hit in the face last month, and hit by pitch numbers are at an all-time high.
But Webb made it clear on Tuesday that the pitch was not intentional, and is not an easy one to forget, though he hopes he can move on after getting a reply from Pillar.
“Obviously, I’m thinking about him,” Webb said. “I just injured the guy. It’s definitely tough moving forward. It’s something you have just get out of your mind and go back to doing your thing, but my main concern was him and making sure he was alright.”
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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