Pirates’ Taillon ‘doing well’ after line drive to head

7:35 PM ET

One day after a line drive that left the bat at 105 mph struck Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Jameson Taillon in the head, the team’s athletic trainer said the point of impact was the logo on the back of Taillon’s cap.

“I’ve been in baseball 18 years — 10 in the majors — and it’s the first time I’ve seen a pitcher get hit in that particular place,” Todd Tomczyk told ESPN’s Outside the Lines on Wednesday.

Milwaukee’s Hernan Perez hit the second-inning line drive that struck Taillon in the back of the head. The rookie right-hander stayed in the game, allowing only one run over six innings.

“He’s doing well today and we’re monitoring him,” Tomczyk said.

There were four barriers, Tomczyk said, that helped prevent a brain injury to Taillon: “The cap itself, the logo, his hair and his skull.”

Every time a pitcher gets hit in the head by a line drive, the protection question arises. According to Tomczyk, the protective headwear Major League Baseball and the players’ association introduced in February would not have provided additional protection where Taillon was struck. About two-dozen pitchers were given the MLB/MLBPA prototype in spring training, but none of them have decided to wear it in a game.

Pirates rookie Jameson Taillon stayed in the game Tuesday night after being struck in the back of the head by a line drive. Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Tomczyk said that in …

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