During his first at-bat against Nationals ace Stephen Strasburg on Saturday, Pence fouled off a 96-mph fastball that hit home plate with ferocious backspin and caught him underneath his right eye. Pence’s cheek immediately swelled up after the contact, which was strong enough that it left an indentation of the baseball’s seams on his face.
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Trainers quickly checked on Pence after the foul tip, but the 33-year-old was able to stay in the game.
Pence, who was activated from the disabled list on July 30 (hamstring), entered Saturday’s game batting .293/.368/.463.
