Los Angeles Dodgers right-handed pitcher Bobby Miller was forced to exit Thursday’s Cactus League opener after getting drilled in the head by a 105.5 mph line drive.
Max Muncy, who was on the field at third base when Miller got hit, provided an update on the 25-year-old pitcher based on what he saw and heard from the field.
Muncy said Miller seemed to be okay and was answering questions on the mound right after being hit.
Miller even cracked a joke after the trainer asked where he was, saying he hung a curveball.
“When the trainer came out and asked him if he knew where he was, he made a little joke about hanging a curveball,” Muncy said.
Miller, 25, was able to walk off the field under his own power. However, he had a huge red mark on his forehead where the ball struck him.
Miller entered camp competing for the No. 5 spot in the starting rotation. He told Dodgers Nation earlier this week how confident he was in his ability to regain his 2023 form and earn a spot in the rotation.
“I’m feeling better than I have in any other spring training,” Miller said to Dodgers Nation. “This, so far, has been my best spring and best offseason of any offseason I’ve had in pro ball so far.”
As for the fifth starter competition?
“I got confidence in myself that I can be a part of that rotation the whole year,” Miller said. “There’s gonna be competition or whatever. But I’m always rooting for everybody in this locker room, no matter what.”
After a rookie season in which Miller went 11-4 with a 3.76 ERA across 124.1 innings pitched, he struggled mightily last year, sporting an 8.52 ERA across 13 starts at the MLB level.
Photo Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
