NEED TO KNOWSan Diego Padres player Jake Cronenworth was struck in the face by a 96 mph fastball, but he opted to remain in the game and helped his team clinch a win
A broadcast of the Padres' game against the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday, April 18, caught the moment when Cronenworth, 32, was hit in the chin
“That’s the first time I’ve been hit in the face like that since, probably, playing hockey,” the infielder said
San Diego Padres player Jake Cronenworth was struck in the face by a 96 mph fastball — but he opted to remain in the game and helped his team take home a win.
A broadcast of the Padres' game against the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday, April 18, caught the moment when Cronenworth, 32, was hit in the chin during the fifth inning after a high-speed pitch from Angels player Yusei Kikuchi.
The ball grazed Cronenworth's shoulder before hitting him in the chin. He could be seen immediately dropping to the ground. Broadcast replays showed the ball deflecting off his face before striking catcher Logan O'Hoppe.
“That’s the first time I’ve been hit in the face like that since, probably, playing hockey,” Cronenworth, who grew up playing hockey in Michigan, told MLB.com. “First reaction was just to try to make sure my jaw’s OK.”
The game was paused for several minutes while Cronenworth was evaluated by team trainers, but the infielder eventually decided to stay in the game.
“He’s a hockey player, and he didn’t lose any teeth,” Padres manager Craig Stammen told MLB.com. “So he had to stay in the game. That was the rule. He took one off the chin, literally, and toughed it out, and then stayed in the game, made some plays for us.”
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Cronenworth, who is the Padres' all-time hit-by-pitch leader, eventually helped lead the team to a 4-1 victory.
In 20 games this season, Cronenworth has a .152 batting average with 10 hits, a home run, three RBIs and 10 runs scored.
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The Padres have made headlines over the last week after The Wall Street Journal reported that the team is on the verge of being sold for a record price of $3.9 billion to Chelsea Football Club owner Jose E. Feliciano and his wife, entrepreneur Kwanza Jones.
The sale would be record-breaking in the MLB, as the price tops the last record of $2.4 billion for an MLB franchise, set by Steve Cohen when he purchased the New York Mets in 2020, ESPN reported.
The sale has to be approved by 75% of the MLB's owners, with the next owners' meetings scheduled for June, the outlets reported. The family of late owner Peter Seidler put the Padres up for sale in November 2025, ending their 14 years of ownership.