On Wednesday, Team Puerto Rico closed out the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic to advance to the quarterfinals.
Francisco Lindor led the way with two hits, driving in a run and scoring two.
In the bottom of the ninth, his New York Mets teammate Edwin Diaz struck out three batters to secure the win and spark a celebration.
However, the celebration quickly turned sour when Diaz suffered an apparent leg injury and ultimately had to be escorted off the field in a wheelchair.
This has led some fans to criticize the WBC as a whole, citing the risk of injuries before the season as a reason not to have it at all.
However, MLB analyst Jared Carrabis made a good point about Wednesday’s game and Diaz’s situation, that the veteran closer was not injured during the actual game and that the WBC has been a treat thus far.
Kevin’s going through it right now, so I’m not gonna undress him for this tweet. BUT IF II DID, I would counter with…Edwin Diaz didn’t even get hurt in the actual game. Also, the WBC has been awesome and we haven’t even gotten to the bulk of the heavyweight fights yet. https://t.co/7qtw72Tq6y
— Jared Carrabis (@Jared_Carrabis) March 16, 2023
The WBC certainly has been interesting.
The Dominican Republic was expected to go far in the tournament.
However, that ultimately was not the case, as Puerto Rico ousted them from the tournament with their win.
Unfortunately, things went south very quickly.
The injury comes at the worst possible time.
However, Carrabis is correct that Diaz was not hurt in the actual game and that the tournament itself is not to blame for what happened.
It ultimately was a freak situation where Diaz was injured during the celebration.
Sadly, it took away from the joy Puerto Rico was feeling after their win.
But the Classic is not to blame for such a freak incident.
NEXT:
MLB Insider Discusses The Implications Of Edwin Diaz’s Injury
