Kevin Pillar took a 94 mph fastball to the face in a scary scene against the Braves on Monday night, and less than 24 hours later, he was in the Mets clubhouse asking if he was in the lineup.
Teammate Marcus Stroman tweeted that Pillar, who suffered multiple nasal fractures and will meet with a facial specialist to go over his next course of action, came into the visiting clubhouse at Truist Park and said “Am I in the lineup today or what?”
“What a warrior!” Stroman said in his tweet.
Pillar spoke with reporters on Tuesday with bruises littered across his face, but reflected Stroman's assessment that he was feeling good despite how severe the injury looked on Monday night.
"Despite not looking so good, I feel as close to normal as possible," Pillar said. "I feel good. I feel lucky."
Of course, while Pillar was “doing fine” after the game on Monday night and seemed to be in high spirits when he arrived to the game on Tuesday, he’s not ready to return to game action. Braves manager Brian Snitker told reporters on Tuesday that Pillar texted him and said he’d be playing if not for one issue:
“I’m fine,” Pillar told Snitker. “If I could see out of my right eye, I’d be in there today.”
Pillar expressed more concern for Jacob Webb, who threw the 94 fastball into Pillar's face and texted an apology after the game, than he did for himself. Webb told reporters he had a tough night dealing with the reality of hitting an opponent with such a dangerous pitch, but Pillar knows it wasn't intentional, and hopes Webb can put it behind him.
"I know this guy didn’t want to hit me," Pillar said. "The bases were loaded and it was a 1-0 game. Accidents do happen…I know he feels bad…I’m almost more worried about him than I am myself. I know how tough that can be on someone who feels responsible for someone getting injured."
The Mets could obviously use all the help they can get given the long line of injuries that has hit the club in recent days, and Pillar said he could be back to baseball activities in 10-14 days. He will have plastic surgery done to his nose, and his plan is to be back with the team "as soon as possible."
"It wasn't so much about the pain," Pillar said. "I pride myself on being available...My heart's broken right now because this team is hurting right now."
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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