The team was feeling much better a few hours later when, following its 12-3 win over the Reds, it was announced that X-rays came back negative and Ramirez would be listed as day to day, the Los Angeles Times reports.
"We're very fortunate to hear it's just a bruise," Dodgers manager Joe Torre told the Times. "If he has to miss [Wednesday's game], he has to miss [Wednesday's game], but let's hope he doesn't have to."
That game is no ordinary one at Dodger Stadium. Tickets, according to the Times, have been sold out for three days for one reason: Manny bobblehead night.
Even before Ramirez left Tuesday night's game, Wednesday's promotion was already generating headlines after the original sponsor, Kaiser Permanente, dropped its affiliation with the giveaway after Ramirez was suspended 50 games, the Times also reports.
After Tuesday's game, the Dodgers weren't the only ones who were relieved that Ramirez was OK.
"The good news is Manny's hand isn't broken," said Homer Bailey, who threw the pitch, to MLB.com. "I'm glad that's the case or there would have been a lot of mad Los Angelians at me.
"I was trying to get about stomach high and in. That's kind of what we had on him. You have to go in. When you go in, you don't want to miss over the plate, because he's liable to hit it 800 feet. The pitch just got away from me. I think it was pretty obvious it wasn't on purpose. The good news is they listed him as day to day. I would never intentionally hit anybody."
