The 107.6 MPH Comebacker That Sent Nick Lodolo's Arm Numb, and Why It's a Reminder For Every Pitcher
Emerald City, sometimes baseball hits different. And on Tuesday, it hit Reds pitcher Nick Lodolo at 107.6 mph, straight to his pitching arm. Seriously, this dude got absolutely rocked by a comebacker, and his words about it are gonna make your own hand feel weird. It’s a brutal reminder of the grind for any pitcher, even when it's not our own Cal Raleigh or Julio Rodriguez out there.
That Numb Feeling Nobody Wants
Picture this: top of the fourth, a tight 0-0 game against the Brewers, and Nick Lodolo is dealing. He'd faced the minimum through three innings, just one batter reaching on catcher's interference. Then Jackson Chourio steps up and absolutely tattoos a ball, a hard one-hopper, right back at Lodolo. Statcast clocked that thing at 107.6 mph. Lodolo grabbed his left wrist as the ball just sat there on the grass. You know that feeling when you hit your funny bone? Multiply that by a hundred. Lodolo said it himself, "My hand just went totally numb, because I was thinking about going to pick up the ball and I couldn’t feel my hand." He’d never been hit like that before. Thankfully, X-rays came back negative for a fracture. He was diagnosed with a left wrist contusion. Still, a contusion from a 107.6 mph missile? That’s no joke.
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Playing Through The Pain, Until He Couldn't
Despite trainer Sean McQueeney and manager Terry Francona checking him out, Lodolo wanted to keep going. He even threw some warmup pitches, trying to grit it out. And he did stay in for that fourth inning. But you could tell he was laboring hard. Brice Turang followed with a single, then Andrew Vaughn walked to load the bases. Lodolo somehow, unbelievably, struck out Jake Bauers and got Gary Sánchez to fly out, ending a 32-pitch inning. How? Lodolo's own words are wild: "Honestly, I kind of just blacked out. I made some good pitches." Blacked out! Francona wasn't going to risk further injury. He pulled Lodolo after the fourth, saying the arm was already turning "black and blue" and that the pitcher was getting stiff. Francona knew if he let him go out and hurt his shoulder, he'd be in for a "really tough time." Julian Garcia, making his MLB debut, took over. He eventually gave up the game's first run in the sixth after a walk to Vaughn against Caleb Ferguson. Lodolo had thrown four scoreless innings with two hits, one walk, and six strikeouts, a solid outing until that hit.
Looking Ahead: Our Guys And The Grind
This whole ordeal is a tough break for Lodolo, who’s had a rough season already. He started late in May because of a blister, and his ERA sits at 5.59 after nine starts. His previous outing saw him shelled for seven runs. But on Tuesday, before that brutal comebacker, he felt great, working on mechanical things he called "a step in the right direction." Now, he’s hoping to make his next start, if it’s just swelling they can manage. Francona and the Reds are optimistic, but they'll be watching him closely.
It's a stark reminder of the mid-season grind. While Lodolo battles his contusion, our Mariners are out there doing their thing. Just last night, our boys pulled off a hard-fought 3-2 win against the Pittsburgh Pirates. You gotta love that! Keep fighting, M's!
This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.