TEMPE, Ariz. — Taylor Ward admitted he was somewhat apprehensive as he stepped into the box on Saturday afternoon, but the feeling didn’t last long.
“After that first pitch went by, (the feeling) kind of went away,” the Angels outfielder said.
Ward faced right-handers Davis Daniel and Travis MacGregor, the first time he’d hit against game-speed pitching since his 2023 season was ended by a fastball to his face in July.
The injuries Ward suffered that day led to surgery and a lingering question about whether the mental impact of that moment might have a negative effect on his career.
Ward had been hitting since November, but he hadn’t faced a pitcher until Saturday. Daniel threw him a 95 mph fastball that was up and in. Ward, who now wears a protective C-flap over his jaw, also saw a curve ball that began high and then dove over the plate.
He didn’t flinch on either one.
“I saw it early enough so it wasn’t much of a knee buckle,” Ward said of the curve. “But that was a good little test right there.”
After completing the three at-bats, he was satisfied that he can get back to normal, worrying about his mechanics and not another pitch toward his head.
“After seeing that first pitch go by, I think I settled down and got back to my approach and what I do,” he said. “Feeling good.”
Ward’s progress is certain to be closely watched throughout the spring and into the season, as he looks to rebound from the frightening incident on July 29 in Toronto.
Blue Jays right-hander Alek Manoah threw a 92 mph fastball that sailed up and in on Ward, hitting him in the face. Ward crumpled to the ground instantly.
“I was just unsure of where my life was going at that point,” Ward said. “I was trying to blink my left eye and it felt like there was a laceration in there, so at that moment I was kind of freaking out.”
By the time Ward got up and onto a cart to leave the field, he could see. He said the medical personnel who initially…
Read the full article here
