Orioles manager Craig Albernaz suffered broken jaw getting hit by foul ball

Baltimore Orioles manager Craig Albernaz has returned to his post, but did not emerge totally unscathed after taking a line drive off his face during a ballgame. Albernaz told reporters Tuesday, April 14 that he suffered a broken jaw and at least seven facial fractures when a foul ball off Jeremiah Jackson's bat, clocked at 70. 6 mph, struck him in the face during the fifth inning the night before.

The first-year manager was quickly shuttled down the tunnel and into the clubhouse by coaches and ballplayers, but he returned to the dugout a little less than an hour later. Perhaps unrelatedly, the Orioles stormed back from a six-run deficit as Jackson hit a grand slam and solo home run to defeat the Arizona Diamondbacks 9-7. Albernaz did not meet with the news media after the game, farming out those duties to bench coach Donnie Ecker, but he was back for his usual afternoon briefing, and just like his first press conference as manager, evoked the name of his 2-year-old daughter.

Craig Albernaz has a broken jaw & 7 fractures in his cheek/orbital area after he was hit by a foul line drive in the face last night. Albernaz is in good spirits & was joking through his pregame media. Here’s a look at the damage, with a scrape on his cheek and a black eye.

pic. twitter. com/tvcyo8NuMk — Jacob Calvin Meyer (@jcalvinmeyer) April 14, 2026 "Gigi," Albernaz said after telling reporters he'd be on a diet of soft foods for several weeks, "has a better diet than I do.