X-rays come back negative after Casilla struck by foul ball

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OAKLAND — The A’s got a scare during Saturday’s game when closer Santiago Casilla was struck by a sharply hit foul ball while standing near the dugout.

Casilla was hit in the left shoulder by a liner that came screaming his way in the fourth inning. He had a crowd of people gathered around him for a few minutes before he retreated to the clubhouse, accompanied by assistant athletic trainer Brian Schulman.

The reliever underwent an X-ray that came back negative, and according to manager Bob Melvin was OK after the game.

“He’s a tough guy,” Melvin said. “That was pretty scary for a minute. I didn’t see actually who got hit. I looked over and somebody was down. It ends up being the guy who closes games for you. Anybody (would be a concern), but certainly him.”

Casilla was standing behind a short wall that is to the right of the home dugout but not protected by the netting that surrounds the home plate area. Foul balls rarely shoot in that direction, and it would only happen with left-handed hitters batting.

“That’s a spot where a lot of guys stand and watch the game,” reliever Sean Doolittle said. “The coaches lean on that railing. They talk to hitters as they’re going up to the plate. In my time here, I can’t ever remember a foul ball going there. It’s really a freak thing.”

Melvin said after the game that even had Casilla not been hit, he wasn’t going to use his closer after Casilla threw each of the previous two games.

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