San Diego Padres outfielder Jurickson Profar left their 9-8 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates early Wednesday night after being hit in the right leg by a pitch.
In the sixth inning at PNC Park, Profar was hit below the knee by a pitch on the right leg from Pirates reliever Hunter Stratton. Profar immediately fell to the ground and rolled before jumping up and slamming his helmet into the ground, clearly in pain.
Jurickson Profar was in severe pain after taking this pitch to the knee.
At first it remained in the game, but now it has been removed. photo.twitter.com/Af5eY1ahzp
— Talking about baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) August 8, 2024
Profar managed to stay in the game and briefly advanced to second base after a single by Xander Bogaerts, but was then removed from the game for good.
The details of his injury are not yet known and it is unclear how long he will be out of action.
Profar entered the night batting .302 with 19 homers, 71 RBIs and a NL-best .395 on-base percentage. The 31-year-old was also named an All-Star starter for the first time in his career earlier this summer.
The Pirates, after taking the lead with two quick runs in the first inning, nearly pulled away for a one-run victory Wednesday night after Andrew McCutchen hit a solo homer and then a two-run single down the stretch to put them ahead. But it was Jackson Merrill who hit a solo homer in the top of the ninth to tie the game, ultimately forcing extra innings.
San Diego took the lead in the 10th inning after Bogaerts hit an RBI single to start the inning and then Manny Machado and Merrill each hit a runner to put the Padres ahead again. Although the Pirates briefly held on in the bottom of the inning after the Padres drew a walk and then Michael Taylor scored on a wild pitch, the Padres held on for the one-run victory.
The Pirates fell to 56-57 on the year with the loss, which was their third straight and fifth in their last six. They currently sit third in the NL Central standings, though they are five games out of the final wild-card spot in the NL.
The Padres will conclude their three-game series with the Pirates on Thursday afternoon. They are currently in third place in the National League West standings at 63-52 and hold the second wild-card spot.