Astros’ Jose Altuve was hit on the pitch during the World Baseball Classic, suffering a broken thumb
Houston Astros Superstar Jose Altuve left Saturday night’s World Baseball Classic after taking the pitch in hand and the team feared he might break his thumb. On Sunday, the team said he fractured his right thumb.
Altove, who was playing for Venezuela, suffered an injury 9-7 loss to the United States. Daniel Bard threw a pitch that hit Altove in the fifth inning. The diver has been recorded at 95.9 mph.
The team said in a statement that Altove had a fractured right thumb.
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He assists Venezuela coach Jose Altuve after he was hit by a pitch during the fifth inning of the Baseball Classic against the United States, Saturday, March 18, 2023, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
“Astros second baseman Jose Altuve fractured his right thumb after being hit by a pitch during last night’s World Series Baseball Classic. As a result of the fracture, Altuve will undergo surgery on his right thumb in the coming days,” the team said Sunday. .
“After the surgery, the Astros will have an update on Altuve’s prognosis.”
A Houston athletic trainer told the Associated Press after the game that there was a fear that Altuve might have broken his right thumb.
“Everything is fine,” Altuve told reporters in Spanish after the game.
“It wasn’t good,” Venezuela coach Omar Lopez said on Saturday after the match. “It took 10 seconds for Tomas Vera, my coach, to get him out of the game. I said, ‘Oh, my God.’ We’ll see what happens. I started praying right away for Jose, for the whole team. That was our momentum here when he took the lead. And at one point Ma, all the stash died, like a lull, and we kind of got everyone to get up and move on.”
Venezuela’s Jose Altuve is hit during the fifth inning of the World Baseball Classic against the United States, on Saturday, March 18, 2023, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
Lopez is the Astros’ first base coach.
Altuve’s teammate Ryan Pressley, a pitcher for the U.S. National Team, said he’s worried about the second star.
“I’m so worried about Jose,” said Presley. “He’s a big part of our lineup in Houston. On top of that, he’s an incredible teammate.”
Altuve’s injury came next New York Mets closer Edwin Diaz He suffered a devastating knee injury that could cost him the season. Diaz was celebrating the victory.
Puerto Rican pitcher Edwin Diaz was taken 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’s having trouble driving, and the first thing we said, just be patient at the plate. But I never thought he’d come up with a pitch on the inside, up and in, for Jose in that situation,” Lopez added. “Unfortunately, Jose wasn’t able to identify. the right way.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
