Clayton Kershaw hit in the face by comebacker, stays in the game

It was a hold-your-breath moment — for the Los Angeles Dodgers, for their fans and for anybody who appreciates the beauty of Clayton Kershaw on a pitcher’s mound.

The Dodgers ace was hit in the face by a broken-bat line drive Friday. He fell to the ground. Teammates and trainers rushed the field. And then, the exhale: He was all right. And not just all right, but Kershaw stayed in the game.

From Yahoo Sports’ Tim Brown, who was on the scene:

In Mesa, Kershaw just got hit with a comebacker. Appeared to be near his face. Is standing, moving around and being examined by trainer.

— Tim Brown (@TBrownYahoo) March 20, 2015

And … Kershaw just threw a warm-up pitch and will stay in game.

— Tim Brown (@TBrownYahoo) March 20, 2015

The damage was limited because the ball didn’t leave the bat of Oakland Athletics hitter Andy Parrino with the type of velocity that’s injured other pitchers in similar scenarios. The broken bat, in all likelihood, prevented the type of gruesome scene we’ve witnessed in the past.

Kershaw pitched two more complete innings after the scare, finishing the day with three hits and one run allowed in five innings, plus four strikeouts. None of those numbers matter in the slightest, though. The only upshot anybody at Dodgers camp cares about: their most important player isn’t in a hospital bed right now.

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Mike Oz is the editor of Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz