Lockers and other inanimate objects continue their impeccable record against frustrated athletes.
The Washington Post (h/t Larry Brown Sports) reports Nationals reliever Ryan Mattheus broke his right hand after hitting his locker following a lackluster performance on Sunday.
Fans learned of the incident following the Nationals’ loss to the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park on Monday night.
It seems Mattheus was none too pleased with how he performed in the 13-4 loss to the San Diego Padres, a game wherein he gave up four hits, two walks and five earned runs in only one inning of work.
It was the kind of line that takes you from the locker room straight to the bar to ease the pain. It seemed Mattheus wasn’t interested in dulling the misery from his outing, because he had a one-round bout with a locker; one he lost.
The effects of the broken right hand will be felt by more than just the 29-year-old pitcher who has a 4.96 ERA in a shade over 16 innings worth of work this season.
The Washington Post report reminds us that the Nationals hardly needed a hit to the bullpen at this point of the season. The staff had five available relievers for Monday’s game and “zero available long relievers.”
This is hardly the first athlete to think it wise to place hand firmly and quickly on an immovable object. Last year, Knicks star Amar’e Stoudemire severely cut his hand after slugging a fire extinguisher casing.
And then there was Yankees star pitcher Kevin Brown, who famously punched a wall and left with a broken left hand, via ESPN.
This should serve as a lesson to the young athletes in the crowd. Punching a wall, locker or any other inanimate object may seem like a fantastic idea, but it clearly is not.
As for Mattheus, the report states that he left the locker room with a bruised hand and later realized he couldn’t grip a ball. After an X-ray, staff found a fracture at the “the knuckle at the base of his ring finger.”
The pitcher will now see a specialist who will then determine how long the Nationals can expect to be without his services.
The locker was unavailable for comment.
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