Durham Bulls pitcher Tyler Zombro hospitalized after being hit by batted ball
Update: Durham Bulls pitcher’s status is ‘positive’ Friday after a ball hit him. For more updates on Tyler Zombro, see this story.
Durham Bulls pitcher Tyler Zombro showed “positive” signs after being hit in the head by a batted ball Thursday night, the team announced Friday.
“Tyler Zombro was transported to Duke University Hospital in Durham and is in stable condition,” the statement from the Tampa Bay Rays said at 11:05 p.m. “He is currently undergoing further treatment and observation.”
Zombro, a 26-year-old right-hander, had just entered the game, replacing Joey Krehbiel, when he was hit by the ball of Tides’ batter Brett Cumberland. He was knocked out and fell to the ground. Officials and players ran to the mound to tend to Zombro, who appeared in a video of the event to start shaking.
According to MiLB.com, Zombro was carried off the field on a stretcher and was taken to the hospital in an ambulance.
The game against Norfolk was suspended in the 8th inning, according to the Bulls Twitter account.
The Durham Bulls are the Class AAA affiliate of Major League Baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays. Class AAA is one step below the major leagues.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Tyler, his family and his teammates,” the statement said.
Zombro joined the Rays’ organization in 2017 as an undrafted free agent out of George Mason University.
Zombro was playing for the Montgomery Biscuits — a feeder team to the major league Rays — in 2019 when he was assigned to play for the Durham Bulls. In the spring of 2020 and earlier this year, he attended spring training with the Tampa Bay Rays.
Montgomery Biscuits general manager Michael Murphy had not heard about Zombro’s injuries when The News & Observer reached him by phone Thursday night.
Zombro is a “phenomenal guy,” Murphy said, “and always the first to volunteer for anything happening in the community, from baseball camps to clinics and events held for young fans. In 2019, Murphy said he nominated Zombro for the Tampa Bay Rays’ Community Award for player character off the field.
“I had tried to stay in touch with him through the past year or so,” Murphy said. “(I was) really excited that he was going to get his shot up in Durham in AAA and that he would continue to move up in the Rays organization. We’re definitely keeping him in our thoughts and prayers.”
He was pitching in his ninth game of the year on Thursday. He has a record of 1-1 with a 3.18 ERA in 11.1 innings pitched this year.
Brian Murphy contributed to this story.
This story was originally published June 3, 2021 at 10:01 PM.