Carlos Beltran took Toradol injection to play in Game 2

If you’re like me, you were probably pretty surprised to learn that Carlos Beltran would be in the lineup for the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 2 of the World Series on Thursday. The Cardinals right fielder suffered a nasty bruise to the ribs after going hard into the right field wall to rob David Ortiz of a grand slam in Game 1 of the series. Beltran left the game and was taken to the hospital for X-rays and a CT scan, which were negative. The team termed his rib injury a deep contusion.

So how was Beltran able to play less than 24 hours after needing to go to the hospital? He took a major pain-killing injection.

“Basically, they gave me an injection to kind of block the pain for 5 hours or 6 hours,” LA Times baseball writer Bill Shaikin reported.

Shaikin also says Beltran said the injection was Toradol.

Toradol is a controversial substance that is commonly used in sports. A few years ago, a group of retired NFL players sued the league for allowing the injections to be commonly administered. It became popular in baseball among pitchers, who will take injections on days of their starts. Curt Schilling says he took Toradol injections before starts for the last 10 years of his career. Jonathan Papelbon says he used Toradol while with the Boston Red Sox but his new team, the Philadelphia Phillies, don’t allow it.

Side effects of Toradol are believed to be prevlant and dangerous. It is legal in the US, though many countries no longer approve its use.