A nasty collision between C.J. Abrams and Jurickson Profar caused a delay between the San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants on July 7 at Petco Park.
Abrams chased a shallow fly ball hit by Tommy La Stella into left field, closing in on Profar and colliding with him just several feet beyond the infield dirt. The rookie shortstop made the catch, but the play resulted in Profar leaving the game. Profar was eventually carted off the field, an action that took several minutes, prompting confusion and criticism.
A Long Delay
The collision caused a delay that lasted several minutes. Both players lay on the field after the play had ended. Abrams held onto the catch and was the first to get to his feet. He stayed in the game. Profar was the second to bring himself upright but collapsed back to the ground on his way to the dugout. Moments later, he was still on the ground with medical trainers checking him and teammates standing over him. Profar gave a wave to the crowd while the cart carried him away. He was later taken to UC San Diego Health for an evaluation.
Profar Is Carted Off
It took around eight minutes from the time Profar collapsed to the time the cart had entered the field with a team doctor. It’s unclear why it so long for a cart to carry Profar off the field after an ugly head injury. The event had fans and reporters scratching their heads, and some even criticizing the team for how it played out.
The injury forced Padres manager Bob Melvin to make a defensive switch. Nomar Mazara, who started the game in right, moved over to left. His absence in right was filled by Jose Azocar.
The game was the first in a four-game series between the Padres and the Giants. When the game began, the Padres were in second place in the National League West division and held a 4.5-game lead ahead of San Francisco.
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Players Mentioned:
C.J. Abrams, Jurickson Profar, Tommy La Stella, Nomar Mazara, Jose Azocar
