Fox News Flash top sports headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. Milwaukee Brewers rookie reliever Gus Varland avoided what could’ve been a very serious situation after his Saturday outing against the San Diego Padres.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Varland hung a slider in the middle of the plate to Padres slugger Manny Machado, who took his bat and hit it 105 mph off the bat.
Unfortunately, the ball went right back where it came from and hit Varland, who fell on the mound while Brewers shortstop Willy Adames threw out Machado at first base. CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM Gus Varland of the Milwaukee Brewers pitches against the Cubs at Wrigley Field on April 2, 2023, in Chicago. (Quinn Harris/Getty Images) But everyone was worried about Varland, who sprung up as his teammates and trainers met with him on the mound.
Varland was told to go down on one knee, as the ball clearly hit him in the face at one point. After evaluation, Varland came out of the game, walking off on his own power as the crowd cheered for him. PHILLIES' MATT STRAHM OPPOSES EXTENDED BEER SALES AT MLB BALLPARKS, CITING FAN SAFETY Varland was made available to reporters after the game in the Brewers’ locker room, where he wasn’t too worried about himself. "I’m more mad about the slider location," he said to reporters, via MLB.com. "It felt good out of the hand, but it just didn’t get there.