In a 1-2 count, Kansas City Royals pitcher Lucas Erceg fired two quick pitches in succession, searching for any edge over Blaze Alexander. The at-bat looked routine until a fastball rode up and struck Alexander on the left hand, causing a nondisplaced fracture. Within minutes, the benches cleared, and the 27-year-old spoke furiously. Now, almost 24 hours after the incident, it looks like Alexander is not done with the confrontation.

“Weird take… Never thought it was intentional, but the 2 quick pitches to try and catch me off guard led to me now missing games. Thanks for the compliments tho Big Foot,” Alexander added his response on his X.

The third baseman’s response came after MLB writer Jake Rill shared the perspective of Royals’ Vinnie Pasquantino.

“We had some up-and-in pitches the other day. To be honest, that’s a guy who’s hitting over. 300 and is feeling good about himself that feels the need, when he gets hit, that he can say something. So credit to him for feeling good about himself like that. But he’s clearly not — it’s a 1-2 count. We’re trying to get outs. We’re not trying to give away free baserunners,” the 28-year-old added.

“I think that’s a bad baseball mindset, personally, because why would we hit a guy right there? It’s just common sense. But he feels good about what he’s doing right now, and credit to him, he’s been having a really good year. That was my perspective on it,” Pasquantino explained.

Following the heated clash, the third baseman couldn’t adhere to his media duties because he had to leave the game with an injury from a 95-mph fastball hit. He tried to move out of the way, but because he was still holding the bat, his hand remained exposed to the pitch.

However, inside Kansas City’s clubhouse, all the players made it clear that their pitcher was not intentionally trying to hit Alexander. They stood behind their teammate and rejected any suggestion that it was deliberate.

“Was just trying to pitch. I quick-pitch to a lot of guys, especially with two-strike counts. So, I mean, I lost it a little bit up and in,” Erceg remarked.

During the seventh inning of the contest, the 27-year-old took exception to the pitch and shouted at Erceg. That confrontation quickly escalated, prompting both the dugouts and bullpens to storm onto the field. Alexander was clearly furious as his manager held him back. Soon enough, though, bench coach Donnie Ecker escorted him into the dugout.

Later, 24-year-old Coby Mayo replaced Alexander. Meanwhile, Samuel Basallo’s 404-foot home run eventually helped the Baltimore Orioles build an 8-2 lead, but the injury has surely now hit the Baltimore Orioles in a much bigger way.

Craig Albernaz shares concern for Blaze Alexander after painful injury

The 27-year-old has been one of Baltimore’s most valuable players in the 2026 season. As of now, he has put up a .312 AVG, 4 home runs, 29 RBIs, and .807 OPS.

Now, everything has changed after he suffered a crashing injury to his hand that could keep him out for a long period. Reportedly, he will be meeting with a doctor during the All-Star break this week. The Orioles, on the other hand, need every bit of help they can get during the second half of the season after they wrapped up their first half with a 46-51 record.

As the 27-year-old went down at Camden Yards, team manager Craig Albernaz shared how much of a “gut punch” it was to lose Alexander. 

Even first baseman Pete Alonso added:

“Losing him, not just his skill set but also losing the performance night in, night out, it’s a tough one. I’ve had broken hands before, so I know that’s kind of going to be not an easy pill to swallow. It’s really frustrating, but I hope he has a speedy recovery.”

With only a couple of weeks remaining before the trade deadline, the Orioles must soon decide whether they will be buyers or sellers. The latest injury has made that decision even more complicated.