Houston Astros pitcher Phil Maton is out of the playoffs with a self-inflicted injury.
The reliever told reporters on Tuesday that he broke a finger in his pitching hand when he punched his locker last week. He did so after allowing two hits and two runs in the Astros' season finale — a game that Houston won, 3-2. One of the hits he allowed was to his little brother, Phillies infielder Nick Maton.
Phil Maton showed up for pregame ahead of Houston's ALDS Game 1 matchup against the Seattle Mariners wearing a cast on his right hand. He explained what happened to reporters.
Phil Maton’s right hand is in a cast after surgery yesterday. He punched his locker after his last outing because he “was upset,” calling it a “selfish” move and is hopeful it won’t affect the Astros going forward. pic.twitter.com/U2gm5qqzED
— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) October 11, 2022
"Following the game on Wednesday, I punched my locker and fractured my fifth metacarpal. Had surgery yesterday. Everything went well. I've got a bracket and some screws put in. Yeah, eyeing next year right now."
Asked why he punched his locker, Maton said this:
"I was upset with how my outing went," Maton continued. "Kind of a short-sighted move. Ultimately it was selfish. And it's one of those things I hope it doesn't affect our team moving forward."
Good on Maton for facing the music. That was a frank explanation. But what a way to miss out on the postseason.
Maton, 29, was in the midst of his best MLB season. He made a career-high 67 relief appearances with a career-best 3.84 ERA and 1.249 WHIP alongside 73 strikeouts. He was a reliable member of the Astros bullpen who will be missed in the postseason.
Phillies also lose reliever to self-inflicted injury
If there's any solace for Maton, it's that he's not alone. Philadelphia Phillies reliever David Robertson is also sidelined with his own, albeit less violent self-inflicted injury.
Robertson, 37, strained his right calf when he jumped while celebrating teammate Bryce Harper's home run in Game 2 of Philadelphia's wild-card round clincher over the St. Louis Cardinals. He's not on Philadelphia's roster for its NLDS series against the Atlanta Braves.
“He’s devastated,” manager Rob Thomson told reporters on Tuesday. “He really wanted to pitch in the series. And he knows how big a part he is to this club. And he’s very disappointed.”
Robertson was in the midst of a career revival with a 2.40 ERA, 1.162 WHIP, 81 strikeouts and 20 saves across 58 appearances with the Phillies and Chicago Cubs this season. He recorded seven of his saves with the Phillies after arriving via an Aug. 2 trade.
The good news for the Phillies is that they won Game 1 on Tuesday in Atlanta. And Robertson hasn't been ruled out in the event of a trip to the NLCS.
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