There are a number of reasons many people believe the designated hitter should be adopted by the National League, but one of them is the fact that pitchers can be very, very fragile people.
On Tuesday, New York Mets pitcher Steven Matz was forced to leave a game in which he was dominating after he injured the middle finger on his pitching hand. But it wasn’t one of the 42 pitches he threw that caused the discomfort — it was the embarrassing swinging strike he had in the top of the fourth when the bat flew out of his hands and toward the on-deck circle.
“I didn’t feel anything at first, I just went and got my bat, obviously it didn’t affect me,” Matz told reporters, via Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News. “Then standing on second base started to throb out there. I threw a couple pitches and felt it. (Catcher) Devin (Mesoraco) kind of noticed and called them out there.”
Matz had allowed just one hit over three innings at the time he exited. With Noah Syndergaard having been placed on the disabled list earlier this week, an injury to another starter is the last thing the Mets need.
Believe it or not, we have seen some pretty significant injuries to players that were the result of nothing but a swing. Hopefully what Matz is dealing with is something closer to a strain.
