When the Cyclones returned home on Aug. 10 from a road trip, J.R. Voyles, the third-baseman who was hit in the face with a pitch on July 27, was back.
He received a nice ovation from Cyclones’ fans on his first at-bat — a tribute to the drive of this one-time back-up infielder who needed 40 stitches to close the wound to his left eye.
Yes, Voyles struck out three times, all swinging, but he did hit a double to deep left-center in his second at-bat.
His manager, Edgar Alfonzo, said Voyles’s lack of sharpness in his first game back was understandable.
“Everyone is afraid after being hit like that,” Alfonzo after the game. “I was hit in the head once and I was afraid when I first came back. It’s only natural.”
But the slugger — who became the Cyclones’ linchpin only after fifth-round draft pick Zach Lutz got injured on Opening Night — showed he was truly back two games later, when he went 3-for-4, including an RBI double.
Voyles explained how he handled his comeback.
“I just tried to block it all out and just concentrate on the pitch, just as I always do,” he explained, seeming happy and relieved to finally be back on the field.
Cyclones fans are relieved, too. The sight of Voyles splayed out at home plate, motionless, before being carried out on a stretcher was the scariest moment so far this year.
