On June 4, 2019, Ian Hamilton was hit in the face by a foul ball while sitting in the dugout for Charlotte Knights, the Chicago White Sox Triple-A affiliate. Fast forward three years and almost 10 months to April 3, 2023, and the 27-year-old is taking the mound in Yankee Stadium against the Philadelphia Phillies, taking over for Nestor Cortes after only pitching in five MLB games since the incident.
By the time Hamilton came into the game, the Yankees had established a sizeable lead, scoring two runs in the first, one in the third, and five in the fifth.