New York Mets fans began the year dreaming about an MLB World Series closed out by Edwin Diaz, but on Wednesday they were left facing a potential nightmare.
In a startling scene, Diaz was taken off the field in a wheelchair after injuring his right knee celebrating Puerto Rico’s victory over the Dominican Republic at the World Baseball Classic (WBC).
There was no immediate word on how severely Diaz was hurt.
Photo: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY
The Mets said he was to undergo more tests yesterday.
The way his teammates stood around him in shock did not look encouraging.
The injury was exactly what MLB teams and their fans fear the most when their high-priced stars go play for their countries in the WBC.
Photo: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY
Diaz signed a US$102 million, five-year deal in November last year.
No matter what, this setback was sure to set off spirited debate about whether the tournament, which started in 2006 and was held every three or four years until a cancelation in 2021, is worth it.
“Those things, they can happen to anybody at any given time,” said Los Angeles Dodgers star outfielder Mookie Betts, who was playing for the US when Diaz was hurt. “You can always try to place blame on the WBC, but that was just a freak accident that could happen to anyone at any given time.”
Photo: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY
Diaz was swarmed by teammates after pitching a perfect ninth inning in a 5-2 win that clinched Puerto Rico a spot in the WBC quarter-finals.
The group was jumping together in the infield when the right-hander collapsed to the ground and he immediately reached for his right leg.
As famous for his trumpet-driven entrance music as his dominant pitching, Diaz was in tears and did not put any weight on his right leg as a coach and trainer helped him limp toward the dugout.
Diaz’s brother and teammate Alexis Diaz, was also crying as Edwin was wheeled away.
Mets teammate and Puerto Rico shortstop Francisco Lindor stood nearby with his hands on his head.
“Nightmare scenario for Mets fans and the WBC,” longtime reliever Jerry Blevins wrote on Twitter. “Edwin Diaz seems to have been really injured after celebrating a win. This is the big fears mlb players & teams have with participating in the Tournament.”
Edwin Diaz is critical to the Mets’ World Series aspirations. Without him, newcomer David Robertson probably would be next in line for the closer’s spot.
HATS OFF: After Sinner became the first man to beat the Serbian in a singles match at the Davis Cup since 2011, Djokovic said all he could do was congratulate his opponent A “proud” Jannik Sinner on Saturday beat world No. 1 Novak Djokovic twice in one day to send Italy into the Davis Cup final with a 2-1 win over Serbia in Malaga. Italy, who won the trophy for the first and only time in 1976, was yesterday to face 28-time winners Australia. Sinner, who has triumphed three times in four clashes across 11 days against the usually unstoppable Djokovic, crucially kept Italy in the tie by beating the 24-time Grand Slam winner 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 in the second singles rubber. Sinner and Lorenzo Sonego then defeated Djokovic and Miomir Kecmanovic 6-3, 6-4 in
League of Legends (LoL) e-sports clubs in Taiwan are next year to face tougher competition to secure spots in top international tournaments as Riot Games, the game’s developer, is attempting to bolster the weakening e-sports ecosystem in much of Southeast Asia. In a statement on Monday, Riot announced a new upgrade to the Pacific Championship Series (PCS) — a professional league comprising League of Legends clubs in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau and Southeast Asian countries except Vietnam — to create a more competitive and sustainable ecosystem. It plans to add the top three League of Legends Japan League (LJL) contenders to the
David Benavidez on Saturday retained the interim world super middleweight belt by stopping Demetrius Andrade after the sixth round, while in Ireland, Katie Taylor avenged her only professional loss by beating Chantelle Cameron in a majority decision to become a two-weight undisputed champion. In what was billed as clash of styles that could go the distance between unbeaten 168-pounders (76.2kg), Benavidez (28-0, 24 KOs) looked more like a clinician with a dominating performance before Andrade’s corner requested the stoppage after the sixth round in Las Vegas. Andrade (32-1) suffered the first loss of his career. Benavidez is widely recognized as the world’s best
AC Milan starlet Francesco Camarda on Saturday made history after becoming the youngest player to compete in Serie A during their 1-0 win over ACF Fiorentina. Attacker Camarda took to the field in the 83rd minute at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza aged 15 years, eight months and 15 days, replacing Luka Jovic. “He’s got a lot of talent and intelligence, he knows that he needs to work harder than everyone else,” Milan captain Davide Calabria said after the match. Camarda, who made headlines when he scored a bicycle kick against Paris Saint-Germain in the UFA Youth League, had little to do as Milan largely