It’s a Very Scary Moment for Sosa

Sammy Sosa got the biggest scare of his career Sunday when he was hit in the batting helmet by a Salomon Torres fastball but apparently wasn’t seriously hurt as the Chicago Cubs lost, 8-2, to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The pitch struck Sosa with such force it left a hole in his batting helmet, but neurological tests were negative. Sosa didn’t even have a headache after the game, only a few cuts caused by his damaged helmet.

“The helmet saved me,” said Sosa, who hit his 504th homer earlier in the game to tie Eddie Murray for 17th place on the career list. “Yeah, I’ve never gotten hit like that before.”

Torres (2-0) also was shaken but still pitched five shutout innings in relief of injured starter Josh Fogg. Fogg lasted only an inning because of a strained abdominal muscle. Torres limited the Cubs to one hit through six innings.

The Pirates won for only the second time in eight games and ended the Cubs’ five-game winning streak.

Sosa had no chance to duck away from Torres’ up-and-in pitch with the Pirates leading, 7-2, in the fourth. Sosa initially glared at Torres, then clutched at his helmet as he realized what had happened.

Sosa looked dazed as trainer Dave Tumbas asked him a series of questions. He walked off the field without help and was examined by Pirate doctors, then by doctors at a nearby hospital. He returned to the clubhouse shortly after the game ended.

Before the game, Sosa and Torres exchanged greetings near the Pirate bullpen and wished each other luck.

“I never meant to hit him,” said Torres, who was out of organized baseball for five seasons before joining the Pirates last season. “I felt very badly about it. We’re from the same town and he’s like an idol to me.”