UPDATE: Cardinals outfielder Piscotty released from hospital (with injury video)
St. Louis Cardinals rookie outfielder Stephen Piscotty was released from Allegheny General Hospital on Tuesday afternoon after suffering a head injury Monday in the team’s 3-0 victory at PNC Park.
Piscotty suffered a contusion to his head and was hospitalized after a horrific collision with teammate Peter Bourjos in the seventh inning of the game.
“Stephen has been released now and everything came back clear,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny told KMOX Radio about 3:20 p.m. Tuesday. “All the neurological tests came back negative, and they were very surprised just how well he was able to bounce back with such a tough injury. It was a scary moment for all the Cardinals fans, and you could see how it rattled the players.”
Piscotty lay motionless on the field for several minutes after the collision, while trainers from both teams assisted him. He was taken from the field on a cart as fans cheered; he raised his left hand in acknowledgment.
Matheny said Piscotty would stay in his room at the team hotel, to rest and continue the healing process Tuesday evening and overnight. The rest of the Cardinals had gathered at PNC Park for the second game of the series Tuesday night, but the game was rained out and will be part of a doubleheader Wednesday (Game 1: 12:35 p.m.; Game 2: 6:05 p.m., both on Fox Sports Midwest and KMOX).
“We’re going to have him just kind of rest tonight; we won’t be bringing him into the field,” Matheny told KMOX. “He’s going back to the hotel.”
Matheny said he talked to Piscotty on Tuesday and said Piscotty was upbeat.
“Even (Monday) night, he was in good spirits. A little bit sore, but all in all, I thought our medical team did a great job and so did the people here in Pittsburgh. He was well cared for right from the top. Fortunately, what looked like could be a very, very bad situation ended up being much better than what we had hoped, even.
Even (Monday) night, he was in good spirits. A little bit sore, but all in all, I thought our medical team did a great job and so did the people here in Pittsburgh.
Cardinals manager Mike Matheny on Stephen Piscotty
“He’s moving forward right now and we’ll just give him a little time to rest and heal.”
Piscotty is hitting .310 with 15 doubles, four triples, seven homers and 39 RBIs in 62 games
The Cardinals have five games remaining in the regular season, with a four-game lead over the Pirates in the National League Central. Their win over the Pirates on Monday reduced their magic number to two for clinching the division title.
This story was originally published September 29, 2015 at 1:01 PM with the headline "UPDATE: Cardinals outfielder Piscotty released from hospital (with injury video)."