A wild game in Cincinnati got woolly for Cubs center fielder Ian Happ in the eighth inning of Sunday's extra-inning loss when he was carted off the field after a collision with second baseman Nico Hoerner.
Happ, who tied the slugfest at 12-12 with a three-run homer in the top of the eighth, appeared to take a knee to the midsection and hand to the face at the point of the collision — with Hoerner making the over the shoulder catch of Tyler Stephenson's one-out popup as they collided.
Happ remained on the ground for several minutes, came up with a bloody nose and after being helped to his feet needed to sit back down. He was alert and did not appear to suffer any injuries to his extremities before being taken off the field by cart.
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"He feels fine. Got a pretty good blow to the face," manager David Ross said. "I did talk to Ian [afterward]. He's in good spirits."
Ross said he won't know what's next for Happ medically, including whether he'll be subject to MLB concussion protocol, until learning more from the medical staff.
“Seeing that really kind of got to me,” teammate Kris Bryant said. “Hearing the two of them come together like that, being close to it. … I don’t want to see that again.”
The Cubs had one bench player left as Happ departed, inserting gimpy catcher Willson Contreras — who had left Friday's game with a thigh injury — behind the plate.
MLB
Left fielder Kris Bryant moved to center to cover Happ’s absence, with catcher Wolters going to second and Hoerner moving to left.
Happ, who had struggled much of the season and sat out of the starting lineup three games during the week, had three hits Sunday.
“Hopefully, there’s nothing too serious with him and he can continue to do what he did today,” Bryant said. “That was huge for us as a team and him in general.”