GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Cincinnati Reds closer Aroldis Chapman underwent a 2 1/2-hour operation Thursday to repair a broken bone above his left eye but has no other serious injuries after being hit in the face by a line drive in a spring training game. Team medical director Dr. Timothy Kremchek said Chapman could begin throwing off a mound in six to eight weeks, a timetable that could get him back in games in late May. The left-hander with a fastball that has reached 105 mph could start exercising and throwing on flat ground in a couple of weeks, Kremchek said. The doctor called Chapman "a very lucky guy." The surgery was performed by cranial facial plastic surgeon Dr. Ed Joganic. Kremchek said earlier that a metal plate would be inserted in the bone above Chapmans left eyebrows and would remain there permanently. Chapman has a very mild concussion but no other brain injury and no injury to his eye, Kremchek said. "Hes feeling better and he has some pain management. Were optimistic that he is going to be on the mend," Reds manager Bryan Price said after meeting with players Thursday morning at the teams spring training facility. "Obviously, well stay in touch. We will make sure we follow the process as we continue to get familiar with the injury itself. We will let him know how much support he has and that we care about him. Hopefully, we will see him here very soon." Cincinnati catcher Brayan Pena, a fellow Cuban and Chapmans close friend, was one of several Reds players who visited the injured pitcher Wednesday night and spoke to him on the phone Thursday morning. "He was talking to me and we joked a lot," Pena said. "He just wanted to make sure for me to tell everybody that he appreciate so much the fans prayers, especially our teammates, our coaching staff, everybody around, how much support and how much love he received and got from all of us." Pena said Chapman was very happy when they spoke Thursday, "talking and joking. He was talking a lot about some Cuban jokes and thats good because that means his memory is still working pretty good." The frightening incident, widely available on video via the Internet, occurred in the sixth inning of Wednesday nights game at Kansas Citys spring training facility in Surprise, where the Royals Salvador Perez lined Chapmans 99 mph fastball into the pitchers face. Chapman was knocked backward to the ground, then rolled on his face, kicking in pain. Pena rushed to the mound. "Honestly, when I saw it I wanted to cry," Pena said. "That was my first feeling because it was very scary. It was very scary because I saw the line drive going straight for his face, and then I saw him bleeding and kicking and moving around the way he was." Pena said Chapman "wasnt even talking. He was just like moaning and making sounds and then when I got there I panicked because I didnt know what else to do. Then the medical staff guys got there, and those guys were great." Chapman was taken off the field on a stretcher as the crowd fell into an eerie silence and the game was called. The pitcher was taken to a nearby hospital, then transferred to Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center in Phoenix. Kremchek said he expected Chapman to remain hospitalized for a couple of days and perhaps get released on Saturday. The ball hit Chapman in one of the most protected areas of the skull, the doctor said. "If you get hit in the side of the head, that could be disastrous," Kremchek said. "Where Aroldis got hit, you dont want to say he got hit in a good spot because hes undergoing surgery, but it could have been a lot worse, a lot more injuries, a lot more permanent. Hes very lucky." The 26-year-old Chapman has a blazing fastball that regularly hits 100 mph. The two-time All-Star defected from Cuba in 2009 and made the Reds in his first season of 2010. He had 38 saves each of the past two seasons, with 122 strikeouts in 71 2-3 innings in 2012 and 112 strikeouts in 63 2-3 innings in 2013. Price, a former pitcher, said pitchers are in a dangerous situation, "regardless of how hard you throw." "Its hard to defend yourself from 53, 54 feet," the manager said. "And everyone finishes their pitches differently. Everyone is not in a perfect fielding position and even if you are there is no guarantee that you can protect yourself when a balls hit that hard." Major League Baseball approved a protective cap for pitchers this winter following several terrifying scenes similar to this one in the last few years. The hats were available for testing during spring training on a voluntary basis but most pitchers have rejected them. Besides, the hats would offer no protection to the face, where Chapman was hit. Chapman particularly wanted to thank the Royals organization for its support and offer assurance to Perez that it is just something that happens in baseball and was not his fault. Pena said he also felt some responsibility. "I kind of blame myself a little bit because I could have called slider or I should have called changeup," Pena said. "Thats your thought process. Everything goes through your mind and youre looking for answers. ... You kind of put yourself in that guilt feeling." But Chapman, Pena said, told him "You know, its not your fault. I should have thrown slower. Im the one feeling very bad about it and hes the one thats cheering me up. Hes the one in the hospital." Kyle Love Jersey .The league also seems to have a fairly active Twitter account www.twitter.com/bikinihockey that features the description “We provide a positive alternative to the hockey community and a venue for adult female hockey athletes to continue in their sport. Luke Kuechly Jersey . This is Lowry’s third time winning the award in his career. He won the award last season and as a member of the Houston Rockets in 2011. http://www.cheappanthersjerseysonline.com/?tag=cam-newton-jersey-online . -- Navy football player Will McKamey, who has been hospitalized since collapsing at practice three days ago, has died while in a coma. Colin Jones Jersey . -- New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman has no concerns about the health of shortstop Derek Jeter, who was limited to 17 games last season due to leg injuries. Bryan Cox Jr. Jersey . Lauzon rushed for 42 yards on 15 carries for the Vert et Or (2-3) while quarterback Jeremi Roch completed 19-of-32 passes for 251 yards and one interception. Alexandre Aube scored the other touchdown for Sherbrooke.DOVER, Del. -- Kyle Busch heard the critics who said he was too good, too dominant, too loaded with the best equipment to keep dropping down levels and routinely romping his way toward victories. His response from Victory Lane, too bad. Busch raced to his second victory of the weekend at Dover, taking the checkered flag Saturday in the Nationwide Series race to set himself up for a tripleheader sweep. "I do it for the pure love of the sport and just wanting to be out there," Busch said. "Ill keep doing it as long as we can do it." Busch followed his dominant win Friday night in the Truck Series with another stellar run in Nationwide. He led 124 of 200 laps for his 66th career victory in NASCARs second-tier series. He has 134 wins spread over NASCARs three major series, though he has yet to win a Cup championship or marquee races such as the Daytona 500, Brickyard 400, Coca-Cola 600 or All-Star race. "Ive got a 134 of em now and none of them mean nothing," Busch said. "Hopefully, someday, the big ones come." Busch had a three-race sweep in 2010 at Bristol, which he called the highlight of his career. Hell start second behind pole-winner Brad Keselowski on Sunday in the 400-mile Sprint Cup race. He has one Cup victory this season. "We unloaded fast and I think well be OK tomorrow," Busch said. Former Daytona 500 champion Trevor Bayne was second. Bayne finished strong a week after he reached a deal to race fulltime next season for Roush Fenway Racing. Joey Logano, Matt Kenseth and Chase Elliott round out the top five. Series points leader Regan Smith was 10th. Logano, the pole winner, had won the last four Nationwide races at Dover and would have tied a Nationwide record for consecutive wins at the same track with a victory. "All good things must come to an end and weell give it another shot in the fall," Logano said.dddddddddddd "Maybe a couple of years later well be sitting here going for five again." This race belonged to Busch. The only driver to sweep a weekend, Busch has been in this position before, but is just 1 for 8 in Cup races after winning the first two. "It seems like the last one is always the hardest one," he said. "Thats due to just the competition." Busch was annoyed after rough practice and qualifying sessions left him feeling as if he didnt have the car to win. Once the green flag dropped, Busch was behind the wheel a No. 54 Toyota he called "awesome." "I didnt think it was, but it was," he said. "I never got the feel I was looking for during practice." Busch, who won for the third time this season, found it when it mattered on the mile concrete track. His brother, Kurt, failed last weekend in his attempt to complete The Double -- drive all 1,100 miles of the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. Kyle Busch hoped he could complete his Triple, though the Cup race is the traditional roadblock in his date with racing history. Busch also was the first driver to win the Truck and Nationwide race at Dover on the same weekend. Busch and Brad Keselowski own Truck teams, and NASCAR star Dale Earnhardt Jr. owns a Nationwide team. And with sponsorship key to funding those operations, corporations often agree to sponsorship deals with the guarantee that the driver/owners will get behind the wheel in a handful of races or more. Tracks, television rights holders and NASCAR also all benefit from the draw of racings top drivers. "I know theres a lot of naysayers that say I dont belong or shouldnt be there," he said. "Until the rules change ... Ill keep running." 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