- Díaz needed to be helped off the pitch after celebrating with teammates following a 5-2 win over the Dominican Republic.
- He appeared to be unable to put weight on his right leg before being wheeled into a wheelchair and down the tunnel.
- The pitcher struck out the side in the bottom of the ninth to close out the win.
- With the win, Puerto Rico punched its ticket to the quarter-finals, where they will face Mexico on Saturday.
Athletics‘s instant analysis:
How can the Mets adjust without Díaz?
It’s no mistake that Díaz was the first part of New York’s offseason spending spree, returning to the club on the richest contract ever given to a replacement. He earned every bit of that deal as the game’s most electric and effective closer in 2022, and he displayed that form again Wednesday night moments before hitting the green.
The Mets pride themselves on their depth, but Díaz is far from the most irreplaceable member of their bullpen. If he has to miss significant time, New York can turn to veterans Adam Ottavino and David Robertson to share the closing duties. Of course, that reverberates throughout the late innings, weakening New York’s creation contingent. The Mets have already acknowledged that two other relievers, Sam Coonrod and Bryce Montes de Oca, will start the year on the injured list. — Britton
What about other Mets in the WBC?
Díaz is not the first World Baseball Classic injury victim for the Mets. Starter José Quintana moved up to join Team Colombia after suffering a stress fracture in his ribs. He will have surgery on Friday and will be out for at least the first three months of the season. Left-handed reliever Brooks Raley suffered a hamstring strain while working out with Team USA. He’s back in camp, optimistic but not yet sure he’ll be ready for Opening Day. — Britton
What they say
Team Puerto Rico manager Yadier Molina spoke after the game about Díaz’s injury.
“I just hope that Edwin is going to be OK, that his family is OK, and we’re praying for him, for his family.”
Kiké Hernández described the dressing room after Puerto Rico’s win and Díaz’s injury.
“Relax. I mean, it gets to a certain point that it becomes bigger than the game and something very unfortunate has happened, and as excited as we were about the game and all that, it’s one of our brothers and some of us grew up together and all. that.
“So it’s really easy to put the game aside and worry about us as people. So it definitely doesn’t feel in there like we just beat the Dominican Republic to advance.”
Required reading
(Photo: Sam Navarro / USA Today)