Astros rookie pitcher Colton Gordon was being evaluated for a possible concussion after being struck in the head by a line drive during Monday’s 7-5 loss to the Guardians at Daikin Park. The incident occurred in the fifth inning when a ball hit by Steven Kwan ricocheted off Gordon’s glove before hitting his head, briefly knocking him to the ground. Despite the impact, Gordon remained in the game and was removed in the sixth inning.
Gordon did not speak with the media following the game, in which he surrendered five runs on seven hits over 5 2/3 innings—his worst outing yet in 10 career MLB starts. Over his last two appearances, Gordon has allowed nine earned runs and 16 hits in 10 1/3 innings.
He had pitched four scoreless innings before the incident. Kwan’s single off his head drove in Will Wilson from third for the Guardians’ first run.
“It hit the glove first, then caught him in the head,” said Astros manager Joe Espada. “It was frightening, but thankfully he got some of the glove on it.”
After being hit, Gordon dropped to the ground but quickly did a pushup before athletic trainer Jeremiah Randall and Espada checked on him. Gordon threw a pair of warmup pitches and chose to continue, only to give up a three-run homer to José Ramírez moments later.
“He looked okay enough to finish the inning,” Espada said.