Fan struck in head by flying bat, stretched off in horror moment

A man sitting in the box seats during Thursday’s Red Sox game (AEST) was hit on the forehead by a bat that slipped out of Devon Travis’ hands in the eighth inning.

The bat cleared the netting along the baseline and landed about 15 rows up in the box seats, about midway between third base and home plate.

Security scrambled for towels and a stretcher was brought to take the man.

The man received a big cheer from the crowd when he stood up. Holding a towel to his head in his right hand, he pumped his left fist to acknowledge the applause.

He walked to the stretcher and sat on it and was wheeled away.

Red Sox go for 101st win against Blue Jays

One day after becoming the first team to clinch a playoff spot, the Boston Red Sox reached another milestone on Wednesday. For the first time since 1946, the Red Sox notched 100 wins with their 1-0 triumph over the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Red Sox latest victory was led by resurgent pitcher David Price. The veteran left-hander fired seven scoreless innings, allowing just three hits while striking out seven. The win was Price’s 15th of the season after he notched only six during a frustrating 2017 campaign. He’s been especially good since the All-Star break, allowing just 10 earned runs over 65 2/3 innings.

Combined with the New York Yankees 3-1 loss to the Minnesota Twins, the Red Sox moved two steps closer to an AL East title. They hold a firm 10-game lead in the standings with 16 games left to play.

The state of MLB’s playoff races

• AL West: The Houston Astros took care of business in Detroit, sweeping the Tigers with a 5-4 victory. The Oakland Athletics aren’t going away though. They kept the pressure on by dismantling the Baltimore Orioles 10-0. The A’s remain three games back in the standings.

• AL Wild Card: The A’s sixth straight win coupled with the Yankees second straight loss brings the A’s to within one game of the top wild card spot. The A’s lead for the second spot remains 8.5 games over the Tampa Bay Rays.

• NL East: It’s getting to be crunch time for the Philadelphia Phillies. They’ve lost five in a row now after falling 5-1 to the Washington Nationals. Meanwhile, the Atlanta Braves topped the San Francisco Giants 2-1 to sweep the three-game series and make it five straight wins overall. That extends Atlanta’s lead to 7.5 games. The Nationals are eight back.

• NL Central: The relentless Milwaukee Brewers won a critical series against the Chicago Cubs, taking the rubber match 5-1 behind Curtis Granderson’s three-hit game. The Brewers are now one game behind Chicago in the standings. The Cardinals remained 3.5 games back after losing 4-3 to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

• NL West: The Colorado Rockies are still holding on tight thanks to D.J. Lemahieu’s dramatic walk-off home run. The Rockies 5-4 win against the Arizona Diamondbacks maintains their 1.5-game lead in the division over the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers avoided a season-series sweep by the Reds to keep pace. Arizona falls to 3.5 back.

• NL Wild Card: The Brewers are 2.5 game up on the Cardinals for the top wild card spot. The Cardinals lost ground to the Dodgers for the second spot. Los Angeles is now two games back.

Associated Press with Yahoo Sports