Bryan Mitchell ended the top of the first inning at Yankee Stadium by striking out the cleanup hitter with a 97-mile-an-hour fastball. He punched his glove in excitement as he bounced off the mound.
The next inning ended in horror for him. Mitchell, a rookie right-hander for the Yankees, took a line drive from the Minnesota Twins’ Eduardo Nunez off the right side of his skull. Mitchell’s cap flew off and his body crumpled to the ground as he reached for his head. On his knees in front of the mound, Mitchell lifted his head, blood pouring down.