Tim Tebow hit by pitch in head with fastball, stays in game

A scary scene unfolded Saturday night in a minor league game when St. Lucie Mets left fielder Tim Tebow was hit on the helmet at the plate by a fastball.

In the ninth inning, Tampa Yankees left-hander Trevor Lane came inside with a pitch that struck Tebow, a left-handed hitter, directly on the side of his helmet facing the pitcher.

Tebow, the former Heisman Trophy-winning and NFL quarterback, crouched down briefly and appeared stunned by the jolt. The impact of the pitch sent his helmet flying. Tebow then began walking slowly to first base.

Trainers and coaches rushed out to assist Tebow, but he stayed in the game and came around to score from first on a two-out double by teammate J.C. Rodriguez.

That was the only run for the Mets' Class A team in a 5-1 loss to the Yankees before 7,157 at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla.

Tebow has a .243 batting average for St. Lucie with five home runs and 25 RBIs in 44 games. He came through with a tiebreaking RBI single in the bottom of the eighth inning on Wednesday that helped the Mets win.