Orioles manager Craig Albernaz struck in face by foul ball in dugout
Baltimore Orioles manager Craig Albernaz was struck in the face by a foul ball during his team's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on April 13.
First-year Baltimore Orioles manager Craig Albernaz was struck in the face by a foul ball off the bat of his second baseman, Jeremiah Jackson, in the fifth inning of the team's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday, April 13 at Camden Yards. Albernaz, 43, was positioned in his usual spot in Baltimore's first-base dugout when Jackson looped a line drive measured at 70. 6 mph off his bat.
It struck Albernaz in the side of the face and he was immediately escorted down the tunnel to the Orioles' clubhouse by coaches and players. Here's video, courtesy of MASN, of the foul ball off Jeremiah Jackson's bat that struck Orioles manager Craig Albernaz. Scary scene.
pic. twitter. com/5OjR39MSkH ā Andy Kostka (@afkostka) April 14, 2026 The ball came up on Albernaz quickly, leaving him virtually helpless to avoid the baseball, though he turned his head and perhaps absorbed a more glancing blow.
Albernaz, the Orioles said, was evaluated on site by the team's medical personnel and returned to the dugout some 45 minutes later. Jackson hit a grand slam one inning after his foul ball struck Albernaz as the Orioles came all the way back from a 7-1 deficit, pulling ahead of the Diamondbacks 8-7 on Pete Alonso's two-run homer in the seventh. Albernaz has the Orioles off to an 8-7 start entering Monday night's game, which put Baltimore tied atop the AL East alongside the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays.