Brandon McCarthy OK After Suffering Seizure

Brandon McCarthy suffered a seizure last Monday while at dinner with his wife but is expected to recover fully. (Image Credit: Jennifer Hilderbrand-USA TODAY Sports)

Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Brandon McCarthy reportedly suffered a seizure last Monday evening while out to dinner with his wife, according to a report by Nick Piecoro at azcentral.com. McCarthy, 29, is recovering as expected and has been placed on anti-seizure medication to prevent any further incidents.

McCarthy was seriously injured when he was struck in the head by a line drive last September while pitching for the Oakland Athletics. He’d undergo emergency surgery to relieve pressure on his brain due to some intercranial bleeding and sat out the remainder of the season. Doctors at the time suggested that he could be more prone to seizures in the future due to the extent of his injuries, but up until Monday he hadn’t experienced any further lingering issues.

From Piecoro’s report, it would seem that McCarthy and his wife Amanda were out to dinner Monday evening when the pitcher suddenly slumped over in his booth. Amanda immediately climbed around to his side, pushed the table out of the way, and called for help. She reportedly “took control of the situation pretty quickly”, which may have made a significant difference. He was taken to the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale for further evaluations, which included a full CT scan that found no additional trauma and/or damage.

From McCarthy:

"That’s the story I’ve been told. She might have dressed it up a little bit, but I’m pretty sure she was a superhero there. I know she’s talked about how some of the employees there were pretty damn good. Some of the people eating there helped, too. If anybody reads it or hears about it, thank you to them for helping and making it go as smooth as possible."

McCarthy signed a two year, $18 Million deal this past offseason to join the Arizona organization. In 11 starts on the year for the D’backs, McCarthy had gone 2-4 with a 5.00 ERA and 1.425 WHIP in 66.2 IP. He’d just been placed on the disabled list the preceding Saturday with some inflammation in his right shoulder. McCarthy says that he’s no longer feeling any pain in the shoulder and is hoping to begin a throwing program again in a few days. He’s optimistic that the seizure will not result in him spending any more time on the DL than necessary.