NEW YORK — New York Mets first baseman Jared Young was knocked unconscious and carted off the field on a stretcher Thursday night after taking a knee to the head from teammate Nolan McLean in a frightening collision at Citi Field.
The incident occurred in the sixth inning of the Mets' 3-0 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies. With two outs and the Phillies leading 1-0, Justin Crawford hit a slow grounder up the first-base line. Both Young and starting pitcher McLean converged on the ball. After a moment of hesitation, McLean's right knee struck Young in the head as the first baseman reached for the ball while trying to keep his foot on the bag.
Young collapsed face-first into the dirt and lay motionless. Medical staff and EMTs rushed onto the field, immobilized his neck, and placed him on a backboard. He was down for several minutes before being loaded onto a cart. As he was taken through the left-center field fence, Young flashed a thumbs-up to the crowd.
"It was a terrifying moment on a baseball field," interim manager Andy Green said after the game. "Took him a while to come to. It was a really scary collision."
Young was transported to a hospital, where a CT scan came back negative. Green said the 31-year-old is experiencing "real concussion symptoms" but has full use of his extremities. "It feels at this point in time like we’ve avoided the scariest outcomes," Green added.
Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor described the scene as unsettling. "It was scary to sit there and just know that he wasn’t with us in that moment. He was just somewhere else," Lindor said.
McLean appeared shaken by the play but stayed in to strike out the next batter and end the inning. Green later said he probably should not have allowed the rookie pitcher to continue. McLean was pulled at the start of the seventh.
Young, a former minor-league veteran in his first extended big-league season, has hit .266 with nine home runs and 39 RBIs in 103 games this year. The Mets said he has feeling in his extremities and that additional updates will be provided when available.
The collision overshadowed the Mets' latest offensive struggles in a shutout loss. Mark Vientos replaced Young at first base.
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