The Diamondbacks’ 11-4 win on Friday night was eclipsed by a frightening moment in the seventh inning, when Pittsburgh reliever Johnny Barbato lobbed a 93 m.p.h. fastball that hit Chris Iannetta square in the face.
Iannetta immediately collapsed at the plate and appeared to have blood on his face and head as he exited the field. He was transferred to a local hospital for further evaluation and treated for a split lip, though it doesn’t look like he sustained anything more serious.
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While the two teams have a history of plunking each other, postgame comments made by Barbato and Diamondbacks’ skipper Torey Lovullo revealed that neither side felt the hit by pitch was intentional. Both claimed that the pitch had simply “gotten away” from the reliever:
Johnny Barbato: "Just got away. Obviously wasn’t on purpose or anything. I think I felt worse than anyone in the stadium at the time." https://t.co/7ZE3g3lAYl
— Adam Berry (@adamdberry) May 13, 2017
Prior to the incident, Iannetta went 1-for-3 at the plate with a 441-foot solo home run. Barring any underlying damage, he won’t miss much playing time, if any, but the Diamondbacks are expected to issue a full report on his status before Saturday’s game.
