Houston Astros star Jose Altuve walked out of Saturday night’s World Baseball Classic game after picking up a throw and the team fears he may have broken his thumb.
Altuve, who was playing for Venezuela, sustained the injury in the 7-9 defeat by the United States. Daniel Bard threw the pitch that hit Altuve in the fifth inning. The sinker was clocked at 95.9 mph.
“The Astros will provide an update tomorrow after further assessment,” the club said in a statement.
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Venezuela’s Jose Altuve is assisted by a coach after being hit 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 athletic trainer told The Associated Press there are concerns Altuve may have broken his right thumb. Altuve told reporters in Spanish after the game: “Everything is fine.”
“It didn’t look good,” said Venezuela coach Omar Lopez. “Tomas Vera, my coach, took 10 seconds to get him out of the game. I said, ‘Oh my God.’ “We’ll see what happens. I immediately started praying for Jose, for the whole team. That was our momentum right here when we took the lead. And eventually the whole dugout died, how silent, and we kind of pushed everyone to get up and move on.”
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Venezuela’s Jose Altuve is hit 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)
Lopez is the Astros’ first base coach.
Altuve’s teammate Ryan Pressly, a pitcher for the US team, said he was worried about the star’s second baseman.
“I’m pretty worried about Jose,” Pressly said. “He’s a big part of our lineup in Houston. He’s also an incredible teammate.”
Altuve’s injury came after New York Mets closer Edwin Diaz suffered a devastating knee injury that could cost him the season. Diaz celebrated a win.
Puerto Rico pitcher Edwin Diaz is taken off the field after an apparent leg injury during the team celebration against the Dominican Republic at LoanDepot Park. (Sam Navarro-USA Today Sports)
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“We know he has command issues and the first thing we said was just be patient on the plate. But I never thought that in this situation he would take a step in, up and in on Jose. ‘ Lopez added. “Unfortunately, Jose couldn’t see the right path.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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