NEWSLETTER
What started out as a crazy moment in the White Sox-Pirates game that led to benches clearing wound up a terrible blow for the Pirates.
There was a collision at home plate involving Pirates young star Oneil Cruz and White Sox catcher Seby Zavala, and things went very badly for Cruz as the benches cleared:
Cruz, who had to be helped off the field, has a fractured ankle. Terrible news for him and the Pirates.
More coming soon, I expect. Just ugly all around.
UPDATE: Cruz’s injury required surgery, and the Pirates say he’s going to be out for four months. It’s a terrible blow to the Pirates’ slim hopes of competing this year – they needed a guy like Cruz to really break out – and it’s a blow to baseball fans who have enjoyed seeing the extremes of Cruz’s ability. Not too many 6’7″ shortstops out there who can hit the ball 120 mph. At four months, Cruz wouldn’t be returning until sometime in August.
The NL Central impact here depends on how competitive the Pirates were going to be. I’m not sure the impact is significant.
