Jared Young Carted Off After Scary Collision with Nolan McLean

On September 18, Mets first baseman Jared Young was carted off the field on a stretcher after a violent collision with pitcher Nolan McLean in the sixth inning against the Phillies at Citi Field. The Mets went on to win the game, 6-3.

Justin Crawford hit a routine grounder to McLean, who fielded a bad hop and rushed toward first base as the ball rolled free. Young, unsure whether to stay on the bag or go for the loose ball, dove for it at the same moment McLean reached down for it himself, and the two collided head-on, Young’s skull meeting McLean’s knee.

The impact sent McLean into a roll, but it was Young who came out worse. He ended up motionless on the ground, his face in the dirt, as paramedics rushed out to stabilize him and he was carted off the field to applause.

Before he was carted off, Young flashed a thumbs-up to the stunned crowd.

“It feels like we have avoided the scariest outcome,” Mets manager Andy Green told reporters after the game. “As good as could be expected, or hoped for, given what we saw last night. All the tests that were run, we got the right kind of results. Everything we’ve heard has been really optimistic from the recovery standpoint. I’m relieved. I think everybody is, all about as good as we could have hoped for.”

Young is dealing with real concussion symptoms, including headaches and some memory loss, Green said, though he has kept his sense of humor intact at the hospital. He has full movement in his limbs, but the concussion will keep him out for a while.

Young was one of the few bright spots in an otherwise gloomy Mets season, securing a spot in the big leagues for the first time in his career at 31. He racked up 82 hits this year, with 39 runs batted in and nine home runs.

Scary as the collision looked, everyone involved came out of it okay, a reminder of how much responsibility falls on a team’s medical staff, even on the days nothing goes wrong.

Box score: ESPN game recap