SAN DIEGO — In a scary moment early in the Giants’ series finale Sunday against the Padres, first baseman Wilmer Flores flipped over the railing of the first-base dugout while chasing down a foul pop fly but averted the worst-case scenario.
Flores left the game the following inning and was diagnosed with a contusion in his right shoulder but other than some cuts and scrapes is “doing all right,” manager Bob Melvin said afterward. “Believe it or not he tried to stay in the game.”
The second batter of the bottom of the first, Fernando Tatis Jr., popped a pitch from Giants starter Daulton Jefferies into foul territory to the right of first base. As Flores tracked it down, his path took him toward the Padres’ dugout, where he collided with the railing and tumbled headfirst onto the top step.
He collided with the bench, breaking his fall and didn’t hit his head — “thank God,” Flores said — but messed up his shoulder and back.
“It feels pretty sore right now,” Flores said. “I thought I had a chance, but I didn’t realize how dangerous it was. At the time I was just looking at the ball. After I fell, I don’t know what happened.”
Wilmer Flores stayed in the game after falling into the Padres’ dugout in an attempt to catch a foul ball 😳 pic.twitter.com/FveC5mQTGN
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) March 31, 2024
Flores laid on the dugout floor for a few minutes while a commotion ensued to make sure he was OK. Melvin and multiple Giants trainers sprinted from their dugout on the third-base line to check up on their beloved first baseman, while the remainder of the Giants infield rushed over to the dugout railing.
“He missed the whole second level and went all the way down. There’s a step and then one more and he went all the way down there,” Melvin said. “It was pretty scary.”
Flores initially remained in the game to finish the inning in the field, even ranging to his left to field a ground ball for the second out, but was removed for pinch-hitter Luis Matos when his spot in the lineup came up to lead off the top of the second.
As for whether or not Flores will require a stint on the injured list, Melvin said, “We’ll see how he’s feeling tomorrow.”