Chris Young chimes in on his rehab.
With no outs and runners on first and second, I had one ball and two strikes on Pujols. I had just thrown a fastball that he fouled off and I thought I had him set up for a slider down and away. Based on previous experiences, I thought that if the pitch was executed it would be a ball at worst and a strikeout or double-play grounder at best. I threw the pitch to the exact spot I wanted.
As a pitcher you have a feel when you release the ball as to where it is going. You know as soon as the ball leaves your hand if it is headed to the intended target with the intended movement and velocity. You also know when to be prepared for a ball hit back at you, based on the feel when the ball leaves your hand. It happens in a split second and is an instinctive reaction.
For this reason I had never thought about getting hit in the face with a line drive. I always thought I would be instinctively quick enough to dodge a line drive to the face. I was wrong.
