Dustin Pedroia: Boston Red Sox 2B hits ball into his own face

Sept. 19 (UPI) -- Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia left Monday's game after hitting the ball into his own face.

Pedroia was up to bat in the fourth inning during the sequence. He stepped in to face Baltimore Orioles pitcher Dylan Bundy. Pedroia quickly went down 0-2 in the count, with the Red Sox trailing 5-0. The right-handed pitcher then tossed in his third offering, which Pedroia reached out to hit. He slapped the 83 mph pitch with his bat, but the ball immediately went straight up and drilled him in the face.

Pedroia twirled away in pain, while losing his helmet and holding his forearm to his face. He was eventually met by team trainers and walked off the field on his own accord.

"He's sore," Red Sox manager John Farrell told reporters, according to MLB.com. "He was bleeding pretty good and that got him flush right square in the nose. By the end of the game, he was back in the dugout, so we'll see where he's at when he comes in [Tuesday]."

Pedroia was 0-for-1 in the contest. The Red Sox (86-64) scored one run in the fourth frame before putting up a six spot in the fifth inning to take a 7-6 lead. The Red Sox plated the go-ahead runs on a two-run single by Andrew Benintendi in the top of the 11th inning and won the game 10-8.

Pedroia was diagnosed with a nasal contusion and is day to day.