Mets reliever Jim Henderson was forced to leave Friday night’s game against the Brewers because he tore back the fingernail on his middle finger.
After pitching a scoreless ninth and escaping a huge jam, the former Brewers closer was pulled after walking the leadoff batter in the tenth.
Manager Terry Collins and trainer Ray Ramirez both came out tob the mound after the walk and made the decision to pull Henderson after seeing his nail was completely torn from his finger. He replaced by Jerry Blevins.
“It’s something silly to have to come out of the game for, especially when we’re short in the bullpen,” Henderson said. “But the first inning I was throwing almost three-fingered fastballs just to keep the pressure off it, so I’m going to go put a fake nail on it tomorrow and try that….we’ll see how it goes.”
Henderson had been dealing with the issue all week and said it’s something he’s dealt with in the past. In 29 appearances for the Mets this season, Henderson is 1-2 with a 3.52 ERA and 23 strikeouts.
