For a brief moment, everything seemed wonderful for Puerto Rico’s team at the World Baseball Classic. Puerto Rico not only defeated the Dominican Republic in the final game of Pool play but advanced to the quarterfinals.
But the celebration quickly turned into concern.
Edwin Diaz, the superstar closer for the New York Mets was called upon to close the game off. He did just that retiring the Dominican team in order in the bottom of the ninth, preserving a 5-2 win for Puerto Rico.
The Puerto Rican team quickly poured onto the field to celebrate the win. But the celebration was short-lived. Because only seconds after Diaz struck out Teoscar Hernández to finish the game, he was on the ground and in pain. His teammates quickly called for the trainers to come out.
Puerto Rico beats the Dominican Republic to advance to the quarterfinals. But Edwin Diaz was hurt in the celebration. pic.twitter.com/fTDeoBqIsV
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) March 16, 2023
As bad as that looked, it got worse.
With the players from both teams clearly concerned about Diaz’s health, the trainers tried to carry him off of the field. Even that proved to be too painful. Eventually, Diaz, being draped over two people, made his way to a wheelchair, putting no weight on his right leg in the process.
And judging by Diaz being helped off of the field and the reaction of the Puerto Rican and Dominican players, it does not look good. pic.twitter.com/mECw2UIpSj
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) March 16, 2023
Naturally, baseball fans were extremely concerned about the injury.
Oh my goodness … https://t.co/TMzaByeguY
— Joe Musso (@MooseOnAir) March 16, 2023
You have got to be kidding me. I give up. https://t.co/RQZPFY1XHT
— Michael Salfino (@MichaelSalfino) March 16, 2023
As much as I enjoy seeing competitive baseball outside of the MLB regular season… Stuff like this has to make you question whether or not MLB players should be risking injuries for a largely meaningless tournament. https://t.co/topmvhuTFL
— Mike Frizzell 🚒 🇺🇲 ⚾️ (@MFrizzell85) March 16, 2023
That’s awful. I hope Edwin Diaz is okay, but that did not look good at all. What a terrible ending to an awesome game. It’s not just Puerto Rico and the Mets. The game of baseball needs that guy healthy.
— Jared Carrabis (@Jared_Carrabis) March 16, 2023
Oh no. Hope he’s ok. https://t.co/UEscySmg9e
— Ryan W. Neal (@ryanWneal) March 16, 2023
Praying for you Edwin Diaz! 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾 https://t.co/PQ0ABPkaZT
— Russell Wilson (@DangeRussWilson) March 16, 2023
Devastating. The WBC is the first time Alexis and Edwin Díaz played on the same baseball team in their lives. https://t.co/675duazhJq
— Bobby Nightengale (@nightengalejr) March 16, 2023
Diaz, a five-time All-Star, is coming off of one of the best seasons any reliever has ever had. In 2022 with the Mets, he made 32 saves while posting a 1.31 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and striking out 118 hitters in 62 innings.
