ATLANTA – The Cincinnati Reds surrendered one of the most painful inside-the-park home runs in recent memory, losing young left fielder Tyler Callihan to a broken left forearm along the way.
With one man on and two out in the bottom of the third in Atlanta Monday night, the Braves’ Matt Olson drove a liner into the left-field corner at Truist Park. Callihan was reaching the ball in time to glove it at full-speed – two steps before he slammed into the padded wall in foul territory, glove first.
Callihan immediately crumpled to the ground and rolled onto his back, writhing in pain, the ball popping free in the process, just before he flung his glove aside.
He left the game with trainers, still in visible pain, cradling his glove arm, and X-rays later revealed the fracture.
Umpires ruled a non-catch on the play because Callihan had not completed the catch by the time the ball popped out – a call ‘confirmed’ after the Reds challenged.
Because it wasn’t a catch, it remained a live ball as the runners circled the bases, with centerfielder TJ Friedl tending to Callihan before realizing the catch had not been credited.
The Braves went on to beat the Reds 4-0.
Callihan, 24, a third-round draft pick in 2019, was playing in just his fourth big-league game since making his major league debut on April 30.
Blake Dunn replaced Callihan in left after the play.
The extent of Callihan’s injury was not immediately clear.