CLEVELAND -- In the aftermath of Tuesday’s frightening scene at Progressive Field, when David Fry was struck in the face by a Tarik Skubal offering, there has been some debate about whether the ball tipped off Fry’s bat or struck him directly.
The pitch was ruled a foul, though Fry can’t say for certain one way or another. However, the 29-year-old has maintained a sense of humor about a trying situation.
“'I’ve heard both from many people. I know it made contact [with] my face,” Fry quipped on Sunday.
All jokes aside, Fry recognizes how fortunate he is. The Guardians’ DH suffered multiple facial and nasal fractures after Skubal’s 99.1 mph offering hit him, and he is expected to need six to eight weeks to recover.
It all but certainly means his season is over, but Fry is not expected to need surgery and did not suffer a concussion or lose any teeth. He is able to eat soft foods. He received stitches for a cut on his nose, for which he is wearing a large bandage, and his face is swollen.
“I feel great, all things considered,” Fry said. “I mean, 100 percent a God thing; it could have been way, way worse. They just kept saying, ‘An inch up, an inch down, we could have had some real problems.’ But all in all, I feel great.”
Fry did not lose consciousness on the field on Tuesday, and he vividly recalls the moment. In a 2-1 count with a runner on second and the Guardians trailing 2-1, he recognized it was a good moment for a sacrifice bunt. He got the sign from third-base coach Rouglas Odor and was waiting for Skubal’s pitch to tail away, but it cut inside.
Being in a bunt position with a pitch thrown that hard, there is little time to get out of the way.
Fry went down immediately, and Progressive Field fell silent. His wife, Rebekah, who is expecting the couple’s second child, a daughter, was watching back home in Texas. She was able to fly in on Wednesday with their daughter, Evelyn.
Fry was worried about his family being concerned, but Evelyn, who turned 2 years old this week, has handled the situation well, by the sound of it.
“She immediately was giving me soft hugs, and [Saturday] she put a [bandage] on her nose and wanted to take a picture with me,” Fry said. “She gets it. She's the best.”
Fry is appreciative of everyone who has supported him this week. The Guardians hosted a birthday party for Evelyn at the ballpark on Saturday, which Fry’s teammates attended. She was going to have a party back home before the situation on Tuesday.
Manager Stephen Vogt, outfielder Steven Kwan and his wife, Samantha, and other Guardians teammates visited Fry at the hospital on Tuesday night. Fry said as he was getting stitched up, he was joking around with Kwan about fantasy football, which made things easier for him.
Skubal was also among the visitors. The Tigers’ ace was visibly shaken up on the mound immediately after Fry was struck, and he caught a ride with Vogt to the hospital in order to apologize to Fry in person.
“Skubal coming was really cool,” Fry said. [He’s a] class act. I know a lot of guys said he was pretty shook up after the fact.”
Fry said he has another appointment scheduled for Thursday, after his swelling will have gone down, to recheck everything to ensure he is OK. By then, the Guardians could be on their way to the American League Division Series.
They will have to go on without Fry in the lineup during their postseason run, but he will be around the team and said he will try to bring positive energy in the clubhouse.
Fry has embraced that role for a large portion of this season; he spent the first two months of the season recovering from November Tommy John surgery and did not make his season debut until June 1.
It has not been the easiest year, but Fry is no stranger to adversity as a guy who persevered to make his big league debut at 27 years old.
“That’s part of it,” Fry said. “You don’t get a testimony if things are easy, and things my entire career haven't been easy, so that just makes the story even better. I’ll be super excited to get back to playing next year.”