An MLB pitcher angrily banged his locker after a rough outing. Another jumped up gleefully to celebrate a teammate’s home run.
The emotions were different, but the results were the same: injuries that kept the Houston Astros’ Phil Maton and the Philadelphia Phillies’ David Robertson off their teams’ postseason rosters.
Maton’s locker punch cost him a broken bone in his throwing hand and any chance of entering the 2022 playoffs. Robertson will have to serve out at least one National League Division Series match-up against the Atlanta Braves after a calf injury.
“It was quite a short-sighted move, and in the end it was selfish,” Maton said on Tuesday. “It’s one of those things that I hope doesn’t affect our team.”
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Maton, a 29-year old reliever who played 67 games for Houston this season, said he broke the fifth metacarpal in his right hand after a game against the Phillies last week.
He came into the game in the eighth inning, hitting one out while hitting a batter and giving up two hits, including one to his brother, Philadelphia utility-man Nick Maton. Phil Maton gave up an earned run on the series and was charged with another after being eliminated for another reliever, who gave up a sacrifice fly that brought Nick Maton home for the second of Philadelphia’s only two runs in a 3 -2 defeat.
Brothers Nick Maton and Phil Maton faced each other for the first time in a match.
Nick Maton won the battle and the bragging rights forever by getting a hit. Phillie’s dugout went crazy. pic.twitter.com/6RChT3eRBL
— Michael Schwab (@michaelschwab13) October 5, 2022
During a surgery Monday, Maton said, he had screws in his right hand.
The “most frustrating” thing about his injury, the sixth-year MLB veteran said, was that he thought he was “throwing the ball really well.”
“Even last month when I had an ERA of 4.00 I was thinking about having a really good month and trying to get my body in a good position to be ready for the post season and have my best gear for this time of year. ‘ he told reporters at Houston’s Minute Maid Park before an American League Division Series matchup with the Seattle Mariners.
“No apologies for what I’ve done,” Maton added.
Phil Maton’s right hand is in a cast after yesterday’s surgery. He slammed his locker after his last outing because he was “upset”, calling it a “selfish” move and he hopes it won’t affect the Astros in the future. pic.twitter.com/U2gm5qqzED
— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) October 11, 2022
Robertson, who played 22 times in relief for Philadelphia after a midseason trade for the Chicago Cubs, was injured when he jumped into the dugout on Saturday after the Phillies’ Bryce Harper homered at St. Louis’s Busch Stadium. The blast in the second inning sent Philadelphia off to a 2-0 win over the Cardinals to complete a two-game sweep of their first-round series, but now the Phillies must continue without an experienced bullpen arm.
“He’s devastated,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said of 37-year-old Robertson on Tuesday, when Philadelphia fought the Braves in Game 1 at Atlanta’s Truist Park. “He really wanted to play in the series. He knows how big he is for this club and he is very disappointed. Believe me, he will work and will do everything he can to come back as soon as possible.”
Third-year pitcher Nick Nelson replaced Robertson on the NLDS-roster of Philadelphia. The manager said he and his staff “don’t know” if Robertson could be available if the Phillies make it to the NL Championship Series.
Instead of Phil Maton, the Astros named rookie Hunter Brown to their ALDS roster. The righthander recorded an ERA of 0.89 over seven appearances, including two starts and 20⅓ innings.
The Astros and Phillies started well on Tuesday. Philadelphia built a six-point lead over Atlanta and held on to a 7-6 win, then Houston stormed back from a four-point deficit to take an 8-7 win over Seattle on Yordan Alvarez’ three-run homer by Yordan Alvarez with two outs in the ninth.