PITTSBURGH (AP) -Pirates shortstop Jack Wilson was released from a hospital Sunday after being observed overnight for a concussion sustained during a head-on collision with teammate Matt Kata.
Wilson lost consciousness briefly and appeared to have a brief seizure on the field after he and second baseman Kata struck head-on Saturday night as they ran toward each other on a grounder up the middle by the Cardinals’ So Taguchi.
Wilson lay on the field for more than five minutes before sitting up groggily and being placed on a motorized cart. Wilson was alert enough while being taken by ambulance to nearby Allegheny General Hospital to call his wife, Julie, at their California home.
“We’re both trying to keep the ball in the infield, but Jack took the worst of it,” said Kata, who stayed in the game. “He went right down when we hit.”
Wilson was well enough Sunday that he was cleared to fly home following the Pirates’ season-ending game against St. Louis. Wilson did not play.
“He’s got a pretty nasty headache,” new Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said. “He did stay overnight, but only for observation, there was nothing of significant concern. We didn’t want to send him to his house or apartment alone. He does have a concussion, but he should be fine, should absolutely be fine.”
Wilson, one of the majors’ hottest hitters in September, appeared in his third consecutive game Saturday after not playing since Sept. 18 due to tightness in his right hamstring and a weeklong absence to be with his wife after she gave birth to their third child.
Wilson’s extended absence, cleared by interim general manager Brian Graham, was of some concern to manager Jim Tracy, who held Wilson out of the lineup for several days after he returned to the club. Wilson said he needed to put his family first, and that he was worried because his wife had complications just before the birth. Wilson and Tracy talked privately after Wilson returned to the team.
Wilson hit .483 in his final 18 games, 29-for-60, and .401 (59-for-147) in his final 46 games after July 25. He finished the season with a .296 average, 12 homers and 56 RBIs in 135 games, his second-best season in the majors offensively. He hit .308 and had 201 hits in 2004.
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