Baltimore third baseman Blaze Alexander suffered a non-displaced fracture in his left hand after being hit by a pitch during the Orioles' 8-2 win over the Kansas City Royals on Sunday afternoon at Camden Yards.
The incident occurred in the bottom of the seventh inning when Alexander was struck in the left hand by a 95.5 mph four-seam fastball from Royals right-hander Lucas Erceg. The 27-year-old expressed displeasure and began walking toward first base, leading to heated exchanges that cleared both benches.
Erceg maintained there was no ill intent. "From a fan perspective, you can probably see that. But I’m out there trying to get outs, not trying to hit guys," he said. Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino added that the teams quickly realized the situation was minor, noting only one player showed significant anger.
Orioles manager Craig Albernaz described the injury as a "gut punch." Alexander was replaced by pinch-runner Coby Mayo and will consult a doctor during the All-Star break. The Orioles (46-51) extended their first four-game winning streak of the season despite the loss of their versatile utility player, who was batting .312 with an .807 OPS.
