Los Angeles Dodgers star Mookie Betts left Sunday’s game in severe pain after being hit in the hand by a 98 MPH fastball.
Betts took a fastball from Kansas City Royals reliever Dan Altavilla directly on the back of his left hand in the seventh inning of Sunday’s game at Dodger Stadium. The star shortstop immediately went to the ground writhing in pain, and stayed down for several minutes.
Mookie Betts exited the game after being hit in the hand with a 98mph fastball pic.twitter.com/lmRB3571Tt
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) June 16, 2024
Betts eventually got to his feet, but it was immediately clear that he was not going to be able to stay in the game. He was ultimately led off the field by manager Dave Roberts and a team trainer, and was in such severe pain that he was having a hard time walking off the field.
Mookie Betts 死球 pic.twitter.com/r0HbuWHaYP
— 【MLB】放送地区 (@MLB_comment) June 16, 2024
The Dodgers and their fans can only hope that this turns out to look worse than it actually is, but the pitch hit Betts squarely in the hand while he was tightly gripping the bat. Betts will undoubtedly undergo tests to see if he broke any bones. The Dodgers will be waiting for those results with bated breath, especially since they lost another key player one night earlier.
Even with all their talent, the Dodgers cannot afford to lose Betts for a significant period of time. He is having another MVP-caliber season, entering play Sunday with a .307 average and 10 home runs while making a seamless move from right field to shortstop.
