Reds' Terry Francona Makes Hilarious Comment After Chase Burns Avoids Groin Injury From Line Drive

Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona had a unique comment after Chase Burns avoided a serious injury when he was hit by a line drive on the inside of his leg by Bryce Harper during his start on Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters after the Reds' 4-1 win, Francona joked he told Burns "I don't even watch a game without wearing a cup" after his star pitcher revealed he wasn't wearing a cup.

The play occurred in the bottom of the sixth when Harper hit a ball 108.8 mph off the bat that made contact with the inside of Burns' left leg. Burns ran off the mound and didn't appear to suffer a major injury.

Reds vs. Phillies (05/19/2026)

04:59

Despite avoiding a serious injury, Burns did admit it was painful in the moment.

"It hurt, for sure," Burns said after the game. "Just trying to get the out and come in as fast as possible. It'll be good."

If things had not worked out as well for Burns, it would have taken away from what was another brilliant outing from the emerging NL Cy Young contender. The right-hander allowed one run on three hits and struck out nine over six innings against Philadelphia.

Burns' season ERA is down to 1.83 with 64 strikeouts in 59 innings over 10 starts. He ranks fourth among all NL starters with 1.5 fWAR. Cristopher Sánchez is the only NL starter with a lower ERA (1.82).

May has not been kind to the Reds so far. They are 5-13 in 18 games this month, including an eight-game losing streak from May 1-8, but Burns has been on the mound for three of their five wins.

Burns has allowed a total of two runs in 25.0 innings over four starts in May. He hasn't allowed more than two runs in a single start since April 10 when the Los Angeles Angels got him for five runs in 5.1 innings.

The Reds are hovering around the .500 mark right now with a 25-24 record. They are 4.5 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central and trail the Chicago Cubs by four games for the final wild card spot.

As long as Burns stays healthy, he will give the Reds an opportunity to win every time he steps on the mound. Tuesday's close call might lead him to taking Francona's advice about wearing a cup, but hopefully we don't have to find out if that happens.