Detroit Tigers

House leaves in ambulance after taking liner off head

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 11:52 p.m. ET

Toronto Blue Jays reliever T.J. House was taken off the field in an ambulance Friday after being hit on the head by a line drive in the ninth inning of a spring training game against the Detroit Tigers.

The Blue Jays said Friday night that test results at Lakeland Regional Medical Center were normal, and that House would remain hospitalized overnight for observation.

Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said House's injury was among the scariest things he has witnessed in a baseball game.

''When I went out there, his face was in his glove,'' Ausmus said. ''There was blood on his face, blood in the glove - everything.''

The pitcher was hit on the back of the head by a ball off the bat of John Hicks. The ball ricocheted about 30 feet into the air before being caught by catcher Mike Ohlman.

''Before he even caught it, people were signaling for the trainers to come out. You could tell the infielders were shaken by what they saw,'' said Nick Brzezinski, who works for the Blue Jays' Class A Lansing Lugnuts and was watching from along the first-base line.

House fell to his stomach and was face down on the mound for nearly 20 minutes while being tended to by trainers. House was put onto a stretcher and gave a thumbs-up to the crowd as he was placed into an ambulance for transport to a hospital.

Toronto manager John Gibbons said the 27-year-old House had feeling in all of his extremities.

''I couldn't get near him,'' Gibbons said. ''They were working on him. It's scary, you know. He was talking, he could feel everything, so, hopefully, that's a good sign.''

ON LEAVE

Oakland Athletics manager Bob Melvin left spring training to tend to a personal matter.

A timetable for Melvin's return to Arizona was unclear, the club said Friday. Bench coach Mark Kotsay will manage the A's during Melvin's absence.

The 55-year-old Melvin is beginning his fifth season managing Oakland after previous managerial stints with Seattle and Arizona.

CUTS

Clint Frazier's flowing locks of red hair are gone, replaced by a short, curly look after a barber visited the Yankees' spring training clubhouse at around 7:15 a.m. The touted prospect made the decision after meeting Thursday with manager Joe Girardi.

''I just felt like it had become somewhat of a focus at camp for him, becoming a distraction and I didn't want it to be anymore,'' Girardi said. ''We have rules in place. In reality, when he was on the field, he met the criteria. I think he made a wise decision because he understands he wants the focus to be on how he plays not how he looked.''

The Yankees have had rules since the early 1970s banning long hair and most facial hair, a policy put in place by owner George Steinbrenner. Frazier cut his hair after the Yankees acquired him from Cleveland on Aug. 1 in the Andrew Miller deal, then let it grow during the offseason.

''After thinking to myself and talking to a few people, I finally came to the agreement that it's just time to look like everyone else around here,'' Frazier said. ''I like my hair but I love playing for this organization more.''

AROUND THE GRAPEFRUIT AND CACTUS LEAGUES

BLUE JAYS 6, TIGERS 2

Justin Upton went 2 for 2 with a two-run homer for the Tigers and starter Jordan Zimmermann gave up five runs, five hits and a walk in 1 1/3 innings.

BRAVES 5, METS (ss) 2

In his first appearance for the Mets in two years following his recovery from Tommy John surgery, Zack Wheeler reached 94 mph and allowed one run - Matt Tuiasosopo's third spring training homer - in two innings. Wheeler gave up two hits and a walk.

Atlanta's Brandon Phillips went 2 for 2 with a home run, and Adonis Garcia added a two-run drive.

ASTROS 7, METS (ss) 6

Tim Tebow went 0 for 4 with a strikeout, and New York's Matt Harvey gave up one run in three innings - a long home run by Reid Brignac.

Lucas Duda hit his first home run since May 4 and is 5 for 10. Mets reliever Addison Reed allowed six runs and six hits - including homers by Colin Moran and A.J. Reed - and got two outs.

Houston starter Joe Musgrove struck out four in three scoreless innings.

YANKEES 5, PHILLIES 0

Chase Headley hit a three-run homer off Philadelphia's Clay Buchholz, and Aaron Judge hit his second spring training home run.

Yankees starter Chad Green allowed two hits and three walks in two innings.

Buchholz struck out six over 3 1/3 innings but gave up three runs and four hits.

TWINS 8, MARLINS 2

John Ryan Murphy and Byung Ho Park homered, and Twins starter Tyler Duffey gave up one run and three hits in three innings.

Miami starter Wei-Yin Chen allowed two runs and four hits in three innings. Reliever Kyle Barraclough walked four and gave up two runs in one inning.

CARDINALS 7, NATIONALS 1

St. Louis starter Mike Leake retired his first 11 batters before Bryce Harper's fourth spring training homer.

Eric Fryer hit a two-run single in the Cardinals' five-run fourth.

Gio Gonzalez gave up one run and four hits in three innings for the Nationals.

PIRATES 4, RAYS 1

Edwin Espinal hit a game-ending, three-run homer off Ryne Stanek.

Pirates starter Drew Hutchison gave up one run over four innings, striking out five.

Tim Beckham homered for the Rays.

WHITE SOX 4, BREWERS (ss) 3

Yoan Moncada hit a two-run double in the ninth inning, and Jose Abreu drove in two with a single in the third for Chicago. White Sox starter Reynaldo Lopez struck out four over 4 1/3 shutout innings.

Brewers starter Tommy Milone gave up two runs and four hits over 2 2/3 innings.

INDIANS 7, GIANTS 6

Adam Moore hit a two-run double for Cleveland in the eighth inning, and Trevor Bauer pitched four innings of three-run ball.

San Francisco ace Madison Bumgarner pitched four innings and was charged with two unearned runs. Jimmy Rollins hit a two-run homer for the Giants, Brandon Belt connected for a solo shot.

MARINERS 11, CUBS 10

D.J. Peterson doubled in a run to spark a three-run ninth inning for Seattle. The first baseman was Seattle's 2013 first-round draft pick.

Starter Chris Heston tossed three shutout innings, allowing two hits. Nick Vincent gave up three runs and four hits in one inning.

Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks pitched three scoreless innings, striking out four. Ian Happ went 3 for 4 with a three-run homer and an RBI double.

DIAMONDBACKS 6, BREWERS (ss) 3

Arizona right-hander Taijuan Walker, who was acquired in an offseason trade with Seattle, struck out eight over four no-hit innings. Oswaldo Arcia homered for the Diamondbacks, and Chris Iannetta doubled in a run. Nick Ahmed went 2 for 3 with a two-run triple.

Kirk Nieuwenhuis homered for the Brewers, prospect Brett Phillips had a two-run single. Chase Anderson gave up an unearned run in three innings.

PADRES 4, ANGELS 2

San Diego's Hector Sanchez hit a three-run homer in the first and Jabari Blash connected for his fourth spring homer in the fourth. Clayton Richard allowed two runs - one earned - and two hits in three innings.

Angels slugger Albert Pujols grounded out twice and walked while serving as the designated hitter for his spring debut. Pujols had surgery on his right foot in December.

RED SOX 4, ORIOLES 0

Marco Hernandez tripled to spark a three-run first inning for Boston, and right-hander Kyle Kendrick pitched four innings of four-hit ball. Kendrick was a fixture on the Phillies' pitching staff from 2007-14, and spent most of last season with the Angels Triple-A affiliate in Salt Lake. He pitched for Colorado in 2015.

Orioles starter Ubaldo Jimenez gave up four runs and four hits in three innings. Aneury Tavarez hit three singles. The 24-year-old outfielder was acquired in the Rule 5 draft from Boston in December.

ATHLETICS 11, ROYALS 7

Matt Olson, Chad Pinder and Andrew Lambo homered for Oakland. A's starter Jharel Cotton struck out five in 3 1/3 innings of no-hit ball.

Peter O'Brien and Ramon Torres connected for Kansas City, and Lorenzo Cain had a run-scoring triple.

Kelvin Herrera, expected to be the Royals' new closer, pitched an inning and struck out three in his spring debut.

ROCKIES 5, REDS 4

Raimel Tapia and Dustin Garneau each doubled in runs for Colorado. Outfield prospect Jordan Patterson had two doubles with two RBIs and played first base. Rockies starter German Marquez gave up four runs in 2 1/3 innings. Jose Peraza hit two singles and scored two runs for Cincinnati.

DODGERS 12, RANGERS 2

Yasiel Puig homered in the first two innings, and Franklin Gutierrez also connected for the Dodgers. Brandon McCarthy struck out three in three scoreless innings, and 20-year-old lefty Julio Urias threw two innings of no-hit ball with three strikeouts.

Texas left-hander Cole Hamels got one out in his first spring start. He was charged with four runs and three hits.