For the final pitch of his outing, Kansas City Royals starter Brad Keller drilled Detroit Tigers rookie Spencer Torkelson in the helmet with an 88 mph changeup in Friday's seventh inning.
"It rung my bell a little bit," Torkelson said Saturday.
Keller tried to get his attention, but Torkelson was already walking off the Comerica Park field and into the dugout with athletic trainer Doug Teter and manager A.J. Hinch. The ball hit the face-protector flap attached to Torkelson's helmet, allowing 22-year-old to avoid a concussion.
"How the outing ended, I hate that it ended that way, with the changeup that got away from me and hit Torkelson in the head," Keller said Friday.