In a scary scene at PNC Park, Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Phillip Evans appeared to be knocked unconscious after a collision with right fielder Gregory Polanco and was taken off the field on a stretcher in the sixth inning of Saturday’s game against the Detroit Tigers.
Evans was chasing a Miguel Cabrera fly ball in foul territory along the right-field line when he ran full speed into the elbow of the oncoming Polanco, absorbing a hit to the head that left.
Pirates players immediately waved for trainers to come onto the field, and the automated crowd noise was stopped as the game came to a halt in silence. Evans was stablized with a neck brace before being placed on a stretcher and carted off the field.
It was the second consecutive season in which the Pirates had two players collide in the outfield. Shortstop Erik Gonzalez and center fielder Starling Marte ran into each other in a game against the San Francisco Giants on April 20, 2019 at PNC Park, with Gonzalez suffering a fractured collarbone while Marte bruised his abdominal wall and quadriceps.
While Polanco remained in the game in right field, Colin Moran replaced Evans at first base.
