With Lively OK after scary exit, Guards breathe sigh of relief

If Lively was looking for a silver lining while clutching his thigh, where a shiny bruise is destined to show, he peeked up long enough to recognize that the ball somehow ricocheted off of him and rolled directly to first baseman Josh Naylor, who was able to record the final out of the frame.

So, Lively’s mission was accomplished, but it came at a price.

Lively laid in front of the mound as the medical staff hurried to the field to make sure he was OK. He got to his feet and was helped off the field, but he took the last few steps to the dugout on his own. At that point, he was hoping that if he kept moving, he’d have a chance to stay in the game.

He tried to throw while the Guardians were hitting, but by the time the top of the third inning was set to begin, he didn’t feel like he was ready to toe the rubber.

“I was trying to test it all we could and it just started shooting all up and down my leg,” Lively said. “Played the smart game.”