Jose Altuve is knocked out of the WBC bout after being hit on his right hand
Edwin Diaz isn’t the only big-name player to suffer an injury in the World Baseball Classic.
Astros star Jose Altuve, who plays for Venezuela, was forced out in the fifth inning of the quarterfinal game against the United States Saturday night at Depot Park in Miami.
With Venezuela trailing 5-2 but bouncing back in the fifth, Altuve was hit with a right-hand pitch by United States fullback Daniel Bard, playing for the Rockies.
Altove was eliminated from the match and was replaced by Luis Rengifo. The extent or severity of the injury is not yet known.
Bard was replaced by Rays reliever Jason Adam, who could not contain the damage and allowed Venezuela to take a 6-5 lead going into the sixth inning.
The Altuve bad news comes on the heels of Diaz’s injury, which is expected to end the season.
MRI exam on Thursday He confirmed the worst for the Mets closer: He completely ruptured the patellar tendon in his right knee during Puerto Rico’s celebration on the field in the World Baseball Classic on Wednesday night. Diaz underwent surgery on Thursday.
Altuve won two World Championships with the Astros. It would be a huge loss for Houston if he was out for the long haul.
The second baseman, who is entering his 13th season with the Astros, is a career batting average. 307 with 1,935 hits, should pass 2,000 runs this season if this injury isn’t so serious.
