Orioles manager Craig Albernaz hit in head by foul ball, returns to dugout with red mark

A frightening moment unfolded in the fifth inning of Monday night’s Diamondbacks-Orioles game at Camden Yards when Baltimore manager Craig Albernaz was struck in the head by a foul ball while standing on the top step of the first-base dugout.Orioles second baseman Jeremiah Jackson was at the plate facing Arizona right-hander Ryne Nelson when he hit a 70.6 mph foul line drive into the Orioles’ dugout. The ball came up on Albernaz quickly, leaving him little time to react — he tried to turn his head away and may have avoided the full force of the blow as a result. He was immediately escorted down the tunnel by coaches and players and evaluated by Baltimore’s medical staff.Bench coach Donnie Ecker took over managerial duties while Albernaz was out. Here's video, courtesy of MASN, of the foul ball off Jeremiah Jackson's bat that struck Orioles manager Craig Albernaz. Scary scene. pic.twitter.com/5OjR39MSkH — Andy Kostka (@afkostka) April 14, 2026Albernaz, 43, returned to the dugout with a visible red mark on the right side of his face — and just in time to see Jackson launch the first grand slam of his big-league career in the sixth inning, cutting Arizona’s lead to 7-6. Albernaz greeted Jackson with a hug as he came back to the dugout, and the two appeared to share a laugh on the broadcast. Jackson is now 2-for-2 since hitting his own manager with a foul ball. Albernaz’s wife, Genevieve, also reacted to her husband’s return on social media. And we’re back in the dugout. This guy……. 🤣 — Genevieve Albernaz (@GenevieveAlby) April 14, 2026The Orioles completed a stunning comeback from a 7-1 deficit, pulling ahead 8-7 on a Pete Alonso two-run homer in the seventh, and added another run in the eighth for a 9-7 win.Advertisement