​Mets’ Francisco Alvarez gets brutal injury because of Phillies’ Justin Crawford originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.Francisco Alvarez stayed in the game.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBut that’s not because the New York Mets catcher was feeling perfectly OK. He took a nasty, injury-inducing blow to the head from Phillies outfielder Justin Crawford on Thursday night.Specifically, it was Crawford’s follow-through with his bat that crushed Alvarez right in the front of his mask.Crawford actually made contact, and with Alvarez staying down, pitcher Christian Scott ran over to make a great catch of the pop-up.MORE: How Jordan Walker overcame the bust labelAlvarez got checked out by a trainer and his manager, and he ended up staying in the game.He probably wasn’t feeling 100%, though, and it’ll be something to monitor.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAlvarez got his night off to a better start than this. He entered the game 3-for-8 in his career against Aaron Nola with a home run. And in his first at bat against the Phillies’ righty, Alvarez went deep:So a homer, then a whack to the face. Alvarez might not have wanted the latter, but he’ll certainly take the homer.Rintaro Sasaki has a big choice to make between MLB and NPBCC Sabathia’s son gets drafted by one of his former teamsAfter 9 years in the minor leagues, a magical moment for Tigers catcherHow Rays turned Tim Beckham bust draft pick into Junior CamineroBarry Bonds’ nephew has a chance to be key pick in 2026 MLB Draft