DURHAM — Durham Bulls pitcher Tyler Zombro was hit in the head by a line drive in the eighth inning of Thursday’s game against Norfolk and was transported to Duke Universitty Hospital.
Norfolk’s Brett Cumberland hit a line drive back up the middle that appeared to strike Zombro in the temple. He immediately fell motionless to the ground.
As teammates and medical staff converged on him, he appeared to go into convulsions. An ambulance arrived at the stadium minutes later, parking in the grounds crew area beyond the right field foul area. EMTs tended to Zombro on the mound then took him out of the stadium on a stretcher as the convulsions appeared to continue.
Umpires met with both managers and then called the league office in New York. Players were called off the field, and an announcement was made that the game was suspended, although reportedly, the game was made official and ended a short time later.
The line drive reportedly had an exit velocity of 104 mph.
“Tyler Zombro was transported to Duke University Hospital in Durham and is in stable condition,” the Tampa Bay Rays said in a statement. “He is currently undergoing further treatment and observation. Additional updates will be provided as they become available. Our thoughts and prayers are with Tyler, his family and his teammates.”
