Baltimore Orioles manager Craig Albernaz walked out of Oriole Park on Monday night with multiple facial fractures and a broken jaw after a screaming foul line drive drilled him in the first-base dugout. He briefly came back to the bench during the Orioles’ rally before heading out for scans, and the club says he will not require surgery for now.
According to WBAL-TV, imaging revealed six fractures along with the broken jaw, but doctors do not currently expect to operate. As MASN reported, Albernaz first left the dugout to be checked out, then briefly reappeared before heading back inside for further evaluation.
How the play unfolded
In the bottom of the fifth, second baseman Jeremiah Jackson turned on a 70.6-mph pitch and yanked a line drive straight into Baltimore’s first-base dugout, where it caught Albernaz on the right side of his face, according to MLB.com. Trainers and coaches quickly escorted the manager down the tunnel. He later returned long enough to share a quick embrace with Jackson, then left again to undergo more detailed testing.
Rally and reaction
Jackson did more than apologize. He powered the comeback with a sixth-inning grand slam and tacked on a solo shot in the eighth, helping Baltimore erase the scare with a 9-7 win, per BaltimoreBaseball.com. After the game, bench coach Donnie Ecker told reporters Albernaz was “doing well” under the circumstances and said the staff had ordered scans to get a full picture of the damage.
Why dugout hits are a bigger worry
The incident instantly reignited concerns about how exposed players and staff are in dugouts that sit just a few feet from live bullets like Jackson’s. In June 2025, Tampa Bay reliever Hunter Bigge needed surgery for multiple facial fractures after a 105-mph foul ball smashed into his face, FOX 13 Tampa Bay reported. Major League Baseball has already tightened some protective rules, requiring base coaches to wear helmets after the 2007 on-field death of minor-league coach Mike Coolbaugh, as detailed by MiLB.com, yet the open dugout remains a stubborn safety problem.
What’s next
The Orioles say they will update Albernaz’s status after all imaging and medical reviews are complete. WBAL-TV reports the team does not expect him to need surgery at this stage. His availability for upcoming games will hinge on what doctors and trainers recommend as the swelling and pain are monitored over the next several days.
