Summary Kershaw crumpled to the mound and was quickly attended by two Dodgers trainers.
LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Los Angeles Dodgers hurler Clayton Kershaw was struck in the jaw by a line drive off the broken bat of Oakland s Andy Parrino in a spring training game on Friday.
Kershaw crumpled to the mound and was quickly attended by two Dodgers trainers.
But the lefty soon stood up and after one warmup pitch continued in the game in Mesa, Arizona.
"Scare? Yeah I guess so," Kershaw said in an article posted on the team s website.
"It felt like getting hit by a pitch. Nothing serious. I don t think I panicked too much. I think I lost some tooth. I spit it out and we got it. I assume tomorrow I ll be sore."
Kershaw pitched five innings, retiring 15 of the 18 batters he faced. He allowed one run on three hits, striking out four, and hit a single in the first at-bat for any Dodgers pitcher in an exhibition game this season.
Oakland, however, gained the win, 3-2.
While Kershaw escaped relatively unscathed, Dodgers manager Don Mattingly acknowledged the team was keeping a close eye on South Korean left-hander Ryu Hyun-Jin.
Ryu received an anti-inflammatory injection in his left shoulder on Wednesday and Mattingly hinted on Friday he could start the season on the disabled list.
"We definitely want to be cautious," Mattingly said.
