Brewers Pitcher May Exits After One Pitch Following 106 mph Line Drive to Body

Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Dustin May’s night ended before it truly began Wednesday at Citi Field, lasting just a single pitch in the bottom of the first inning. The 28-year-old right-hander threw a 96 mph fastball to Mets center fielder A.J. Ewing, who unleashed a screaming 106 mph line drive straight back through the box, striking May directly. Despite his attempt to turn away from the incoming missile, the force of impact left him visibly shaken.

The batted ball caromed directly to third baseman David Hamilton following the collision with May, who quickly relayed to first base to retire Ewing. However, the defensive gem came at significant cost—trainers rushed to the mound as May bent over in evident pain, clutching the area of impact. After conferring with the medical staff and manager Pat Murphy, the pitcher attempted warmup tosses but ultimately was removed from the game with a bruised right scapula.

May expressed relief that the injury lacked structural damage but remained cautious about his recovery timeline. “When I threw it, it felt fine,” he said. “But sitting there for a couple seconds after—threw the next one and it didn’t feel right. They were more on the cautious side of, better to be safe now and protect you for later.”

Relief pitcher Robert Gasser stepped in and delivered 5 1/3 innings of one-run ball in his first career relief appearance, while Grant Anderson and Bryse Wilson combined for 3 1/3 scoreless frames. The Brewers cruised to an 8-1 victory despite the early setback. Murphy joked about the unusual deployment: “We planned just using May as an opener.”

Acquired from St. Louis at the trade deadline, May was expected to bolster the Brewers’ rotation down the stretch with a 6-8 record and 4.56 ERA across 25 starts this season. Milwaukee (82-51) faces the Mets (60-73) again Thursday at 7:10 p.m. ET in the series finale.