Carlos Beltran left Game 1 of the World Series with bruised ribs on Wednesday night after robbing David Ortiz of a grand slam in the second inning. Beltran went full throttle and slammed into the short right field wall to make the spectacular grab.
Beltran stayed in the game, but could be seen holding his side and pressing his chest in the outfield before the inning ended.
He never made it out for the third inning and was replaced by right fielder John Jay.
The team announced that Beltran suffered a rib contusion before sending him to the hospital for X-rays.
It’s a huge loss for the Cardinals who were already down five runs and now lose their most productive post season hitter with 12 RBIs in the NL playoffs this year.
Beltran is playing in the World Series for the first time in his 16-year career. The eight-time All-Star batted .296 with 24 homers and 84 RBIs in the regular season.
(Image credit to NBC Sports)
Original Post 7:30 PM
Omar Minaya is rooting hard for Carlos Beltran to get that World Series Ring, reports Bob Klapisch of The Record. That makes two of us…
“I feel great for Carlos, because I still think he was the best center fielder of his time,” Minaya said by telephone Tuesday. “I’ve known him since high school in Puerto Rico and he’s always been that same person: not just a great ballplayer, but a great human being. When people like that get to the World Series, it makes you feel proud.”
Minaya has no hard feeling towards the Wilpons, whom he said had little choice but to fire him and Jerry Manuel after the collapse in Flushing was beyond repair.
“We did have a great thing going, but in New York, you have to win. I get that,” Minaya said. “We had a great season in ’06, but to lose the way we did in ’07 and ’08 at the very end … when you go out like that two years in a row, changes have to be made.”
I’m amazed at how many Met fans still define Beltran’s career by that one at-bat, seemingly ignoring the fact he carried the Mets to that Game 7 of the NLCS with a tremendous regular season and post season performance.
As Klapisch points out, Beltran was in the wrong place at the wrong time, expecting a fastball with a 3-2 count in the bottom of the ninth.
So to any Mets fan who still feels Beltran hasn’t fully paid his debts for 2006, consider the journey. He knows about pain, although there’s never been a hint of his suffering. Beltran is baseball’s equivalent of Mr. Spock – neutral and unruffled are in his genetic coding. He told The New York Times recently, “For me, being able to get so close and never being able to get to the World Series, all that has done is give me motivation to come every year, work hard, prepare myself and try to get there.”
Clearly, the commitment has paid a monster dividend: In two seasons with the Cardinals, Beltran has hit .282 with 56 home runs, and, just as importantly, hasn’t spent any time on the disabled list. His trade to the Giants in 2011 also netted the Mets right-hander Zack Wheeler, which means, in all fairness, the account is paid in full.
As for what’s next as Beltran heads into the offseason, it’s becoming painfully clear that future Hall of Famer could be heading to the Bronx according to what baseball people are telling Klapisch.
It would suck to see him come to New York and play for the other team.
