Yoenis Cespedes suffered a frightening injury on Wednesday when the New York Mets slugger was hit by a pitch on his pinky finger and had to leave the game.
The injury took place in the third inning of the team’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies and the Mets, holding a 5-0 lead. Cespedes checked his swing and took a fastball off the end of the bat, striking his left hand.
Yoenis Cespedes went to the ground in pain immediately, and members of the team’s medical staff attended to him before helping Cespedes back to the clubhouse.
Cespedes is leaving the game. The ball hit him in the left hand/wrist area. He dropped his bat and let out a yelp. #Mets
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) October 1, 2015
Left wrist/hand injury for Yoenis Cespedes, who is departing game.
— Adam Rubin (@AdamRubinESPN) October 1, 2015
Many fans feared the worst, but the Mets broadcast team had some good news a few innings later. Cespedes had an X-ray which showed that he suffered a contusion of his left ring and middle fingers, but he did not break it.
#Mets calling Cespedes a contusion of his left and ring fingers, but no break. X-rays were negative. What an incredible relief for the team.
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) October 1, 2015
cespedes has contusion of left middle and ring fingers, no break, mets say. queens, kings & environs exhales.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) October 1, 2015
Much of the team’s success this season is due to Cespedes, who has helped the team turn around its offense entirely. The Mets were the lowest scoring team in the league before Cespedes came to Queens, and now they are the highest-scoring team, average more than six runs per game since he joined the club, MLB ‘s Richard Justice noted.
While one player alone can’t make that big a change, many credit Yoenis Cespedes with helping take pressure off the other players. And his performance in the all-important series against the Nationals can’t be ignored. Cespedes hit 7-for-21 against the divisional rivals, with three doubles and five runs.
The performance was even bigger in the recent series, which the Mets swept to put the race out of reach.
Justice wrote about Cespedes.
“The Mets rallied to win three days in a row, and Cespedes had a big hit in every game. He had three hits, including a home run, in the first game on Monday when the Mets won 8-5 . He doubled and drove in three runs as the Mets rallied from a 7-1 deficit to win the second game 8-7 . Finally, on Wednesday night, Cespedes’ two-run eighth-inning home run broke a 2-2 game and helped the Mets to a 5-3 victory .”
The performance has been so dominant that there is even speculation that Cespedes could be voted the NL MVP, which would be a phenomenal accomplishment given that he was in the AL for much of the season.
The New York Mets would be counting on Yoenis Cespedes in the playoffs, where they will face the Los Angeles Dodgers. But the final weekend of the season is still important as well, with the Mets holding a one-game lead over the Dodgers for home field advantage in the National League Divisional Series. The Mets close out the season with the Nationals, who they have swept in two consecutive series.
Yoenis Cespedes was not the only player to leave Wednesday’s game with an injury. Wilmer Flores also went to the locker room with back stiffness. A more complete report on his injury and availability was not yet known.
While Yoenis Cespedes may have avoided major injury, the New York Mets could still be without him for a few games as the contusion heals.
[Picture by Kevin E. Cox and Rich Schultz/Getty Images]
