Houston Astros star Jose Altuve left Saturday night’s World Baseball Classic game after taking a pitch to the hand and the team fears he may have broken his thumb.
Altuve, who was playing for Venezuela, suffered the injury in a 9-7 loss to the United States. Daniel Bard threw the pitch that hit Altuve in the fifth inning. The sinker recorded a speed of 95.9 mph.
«The Astros will provide an update tomorrow after further evaluation,» the club said in a statement.
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José Altuve of Venezuela receives help from a coach after he was struck by a pitch during the fifth inning of a World Baseball Classic game against the USA, Saturday, March 18, 2023, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
A Houston fitness trainer told The Associated Press that it was feared Altuve had broken his right thumb. Altuve told reporters in Spanish after the game: «Everything is fine.»
«It didn’t look good,» said Venezuela coach Omar López. “It took Tomás Vera, my coach, 10 seconds to take him out of the game. I said, ‘Oh my gosh’. We’ll see what happens. I immediately started praying for José, for the whole team. That was our drive right here when we took the lead. And at some point, the whole bench died, like in silence, and we pushed everyone to get up and move on.»
TEAM USA PLAYERS WATCH ON IN AMAZE AS THE GREAT KEN GRIFFEY JR. OF THE MLB. TAKE BATTING PRACTICE AT THE WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC
Jose Altuve of Venezuela is hit by a pitch during the fifth inning of a World Baseball Classic game against the United States, Saturday, March 18, 2023, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
Lopez is the first base coach for the Astros.
Altuve’s teammate, Ryan Pressly, a pitcher for the US national team, said he was concerned about the star second baseman.
«I’m pretty worried about Jose,» Pressly said. «He’s a big part of our lineup in Houston. On top of that, he’s an amazing teammate.»
Altuve’s injury came after New York Mets closer Edwin Diaz suffered a devastating knee injury that could cost him the season. Diaz was celebrating a victory.
Puerto Rico pitcher Edwin Diaz is carried off the field after an apparent leg injury during the team’s celebration against the Dominican Republic at LoanDepot Park. (Sam Navarro-USA Today Sports)
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«We know he has issues with command, and the first thing we said, just be patient at the plate. But I never thought I was going to go out with a pitch inside, up and inside, to Jose in that situation.» «López added. «Unfortunately, José was unable to recognize the correct path.»
Associated Press contributed to this report.