Nats' Strickland breaks nose in weight-room incident

It appears as though Hunter Strickland dodged a major bullet.

The Washington Nationals reliever was involved in a scary accident Tuesday when he suffered a broken nose after being hit by a bar while lifting weights at PNC Park, manager Dave Martinez announced, according to Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post.

Strickland was seen in the Nationals' clubhouse shortly after the incident with a partially discolored face and a bandage on his nose, MASN's Mark Zuckerman reported. He then underwent X-rays at the ballpark, where the injury was confirmed.

Shortly after the exam, he was seen on the field playing catch, according to Dougherty, and was well enough to interact with fans. He apparently told some fans in Pittsburgh his nose was broken, but that he was cleared to continue pitching.

Strickland then posted to Instagram, where he confirmed his broken nose and added a barbell was responsible.

The freak injury was nearly the latest setback for Strickland, who missed four months earlier this year due to a lat strain while pitching for the Seattle Mariners. Since joining Washington in a July 31 trade, the 30-year-old has found a groove, posting a 1.29 ERA and 0.86 WHIP in seven innings.

Oddly, Strickland is the second Nationals pitcher to suffer a freak broken nose this season. Back in June, Max Scherzer did it to himself while taking batting practice. He also pitched through the injury.