The Phillies are breathing a collective sigh of relief as Roy Oswalt escaped injury after the pitcher took a line drive from Manny Ramirez to the neck in the 4th inning of a Grapefuit game against the Tampa Bay Devi Rays. Phils pitching coach Rich Dubee said that Oswalt wasn’t even ready to come out of the game…
“He wanted to [pitch] some more,” Dubee said. “He asked, ‘How many pitches I got?’ I said, ‘Enough for today.’"
Oswalt was taken to a nearby hospital where X-ray and CT scans came back negative. He ended up coming back to the stadium where he showered and drove home. He told team officials that he felt fine. Charlie Manuel said he doesn’t expect Oswalt to miss any time.
“They’ll watch him to make sure he doesn’t have a concussion or any aftereffects,” Manuel said. “But I expect him to make his next start.”
Manuel also said that Oswalt was probably luck because Manny didn’t actually hit the ball very hard. It was a scary for sure, but it finally looks like the injury gods have passed over the Phillies this time.