A shocking one-pitch exit for the Brewers pitcher
Dustin May’s night against the New York Mets took a shocking turn before the game could even get started. The Brewers pitcher had barely begun his outing when an unexpected moment on the mound forced Milwaukee to make a quick decision.
What happened next left the stadium watching closely as teammates and trainers gathered around him. With May’s status suddenly uncertain, the Brewers had to turn to their pitching depth much earlier than expected.
A.J. Ewing’s liner came back at May
May opened the bottom of the first inning by throwing a pitch to Ewing, who lined it directly toward the mound. MLB Statcast recorded the ball’s exit velocity at 106.0 mph, with a 5-degree launch angle and a 139-foot hit distance.
May turned as the ball approached and was struck on the right side of his upper back. The ball then ricocheted toward third baseman David Hamilton.
The ball turned into an out
After hitting May, the ball bounced toward third base, where Hamilton fielded it cleanly. Hamilton then threw to first base, retiring Ewing and recording the first out of the game.
The play gave Milwaukee an out but left May needing medical attention. He remained on the mound while Brewers coaches and athletic trainer Brad Epstein checked on him.
May tried to remain in the game
May stayed on the mound after the impact and tried to determine whether he could continue pitching. He raised his arm, moved his right hand and threw three warmup pitches while Brewers personnel watched closely.
After those warmups, May left the game in favor of Robert Gasser. May said the impact had taken his breath away and that he probably could have finished the inning but did not want to risk pushing through it.
X-rays showed no structural damage
The Brewers announced during the game that May had suffered a right scapula contusion, meaning a bruise involving his shoulder blade. X-rays performed at Citi Field were negative, providing no evidence of a fracture.
May later said he felt better once he knew there was no structural damage. He described the injury as a bruise and said he felt OK, although he expected to see how he felt the following day.
Robert Gasser entered earlier than planned
Left-hander Robert Gasser replaced May before the second batter reached the plate. Gasser had been preparing for a different role but suddenly became responsible for covering multiple innings after May’s early departure.
Gasser delivered 5⅓ innings and allowed one run on six hits. He also walked two batters and struck out six while throwing 82 pitches in his first major league relief appearance.
Interesting fact: Milwaukee had won 82 games by Aug. 26, 2026, putting the Brewers among MLB’s top teams while they pursued their fourth consecutive NL Central title.
The Brewers bullpen finished the game
After Gasser completed his long relief outing, Grant Anderson and Bryse Wilson handled the remaining innings for Milwaukee. Anderson pitched 1⅓ scoreless innings, while Wilson worked the final two frames without allowing a run.
Together, the relief group kept the Mets from adding significant damage after May departed. The Brewers ultimately limited New York to one run in the game.
Interesting fact: MLB pitchers can be removed from a game without facing a batter under the league’s Pitcher Injury Exception, introduced as part of MLB’s 2026 rule changes.
Milwaukee’s offense supplied the support
The Brewers scored all 8 of their runs after May left, giving their replacement pitchers substantial offensive support. Milwaukee began its scoring surge with six consecutive singles in the second inning, producing a 4-run lead.
Brice Turang later hit a 3-run homer in the fourth inning. Sal Frelick collected 3 hits and 2 RBIs, while Garrett Mitchell and Christian Yelich also drove in runs.
The victory became an 8-1 win
Milwaukee defeated New York 8-1 on August 26 despite May’s one-pitch outing. The Brewers scored 7 runs before the Mets answered with Francisco Alvarez’s RBI single in the fourth inning.
The victory improved Milwaukee’s record to 82-51 at that point. It also gave the Brewers their seventh win in their previous 10 games entering the final game of the series.
May became part of a rare record
May became the 11th pitcher recorded by Baseball-Reference to start a major league game and throw only one pitch. The previous pitcher in that group was Pablo López, who threw one pitch for the Miami Marlins against Atlanta on July 2, 2021.
López was ejected after hitting a batter with his pitch. May’s departure instead resulted from being struck by Ewing’s line drive.
May had recently joined Milwaukee
The Brewers acquired May from the St. Louis Cardinals on August 3 along with left-handed reliever JoJo Romero. Milwaukee sent outfield prospects Alexander Frias and Josiah Ragsdale to St. Louis as part of the trade.
May entered the Mets game with three starts for Milwaukee. He was 1-1 with a 6.00 ERA across those starts before the injury ended his fourth outing after one pitch.
May’s season numbers remained substantial
Before the injury, May had appeared in 25 games during the 2026 season and made 25 starts. He carried a 6-8 record with a 4.56 ERA, 118 strikeouts and 42 walks across 124⅓ innings between his teams.
With Milwaukee, his record stood at 1-1 after four starts. His Brewers ERA was 5.87 following the one-pitch outing.
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May’s latest status remained day-to-day
One day after leaving the game, May reported feeling only a little sore and was able to play catch in the outfield at Citi Field. The Brewers were considering whether he could return to the rotation as soon as Sunday against Texas.
As of August 29, ESPN listed May as day-to-day, while MLB listed him as the probable starter for Sunday against Texas. Shane Drohan was scheduled to start Saturday’s game, leaving May lined up for Sunday.
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What do you think about Dustin May’s scary exit after that 106 mph line drive? Like this post if you’re glad the X-rays were negative, and comment your reaction.
This slideshow was made with AI assistance and human editing.
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