MLB star Willson Contreras will be sidelined for an extended period after suffering a horrific arm injury.
The St. Louis Cardinals catcher left Tuesday’s loss to the New York Mets with a broken forearm.
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Contreras was behind the plate when Mets star J.D. Martinez threw a pitch from starting pitcher Miles Mikolas in the top of the second inning.
The Cardinals catcher approached Martinez in an attempt to get the lower pitches called strikes.
Mikolas hit a slider just outside the plate, which Martinez took a big swing at.
His bat collided hard with Contreras’ outstretched forearm, causing the St. Louis star to scream in pain.
The three-time All-Star immediately rolled over holding his arm before running towards the benches.
“This is the most pain I’ve ever been through, for sure,” Contreras told reporters after the game, with video footage of the piece quickly going viral.
“I knew immediately it was a bad situation, and then as I sat on the floor I felt numb.
“I knew it wasn’t right.”
Contreras was immediately removed from contention with Ivan Herrera in his place.
He later revealed that he would need surgery and would miss about 6 weeks, for ESPN.
“So right now, I mean, I’m in a lot of pain, but I’m really upset that I lost [time]”, added Contreras.
“I know it’s going to be difficult for me to watch the games and not be with the guys, but I’m going to do my best to be there, support each other and root for them because that’s the best. I can do.”
Cardinals coach Oliver Marmol admitted after the game that it will be difficult to replace Contreras in the coming weeks.
The 31-year-old has been strong with the bat this season, averaging .280 with six homers and 12 RBI.
“It’s hard, man,” Marmol said.
Five Major MLB Rule Changes in 2024
1. The pitch clock is reduced from 20 to 18 seconds with runners on base. It will remain at 15 seconds with the bases empty.
2. When a pitching change is made, the inning clock will reset to 2:00 instead of 2:15 as happened last year.
3. Teams will only be able to visit four mounds per game in 2024, compared to five last season.
4. Fielders and fielders who block bases will be cited for obstruction by the umpires.
5. The runners’ lane from home plate to first base has been widened to include the dirt between the grass and the white line.
“He has done a phenomenal job. He is an extreme competitor.
“He brings a lot to the club in terms of performance but also his competitive nature, so to see him go down is difficult.
“He was putting together a really good year and helping us in a lot of ways, so it’s a tough year.”
The Mets trailed 3-0 at the time of the injury, but rallied with a huge six-run fifth inning.
They ultimately won 7-5, while St. Louis fell to 15-21 that year.
The two teams meet again today with first pitch at 1:15 pm ET at Busch Stadium.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
