The Yankees have endured some rough starts lately, but nothing like this.
On the first pitch of yesterday’s game against the Red Sox, Jeff Karstens took a Julio Lugo liner off his right leg – which fractured the pitcher’s right fibula. He faced one more batter before leaving Yankee Stadium for X-rays and a CT scan, which revealed the injury during the 3-1 victory over Boston.
Team doctor Stuart Hershon didn’t want to speculate on how long Karstens would be out, but the 24-year-old won’t need a hard cast or surgery. Karstens, on the 15-day disabled list, should resume pitching this season, Hershon said.
“It’s not the big tibia bone in the leg, so it’s not as serious as it could’ve been,” he said.
Lugo’s liner smashed off Karstens’ leg below the knee. Andy Pettitte later joked with Karstens that he went down as if a sniper hit him.
“We’ve had a lot of stuff happen in the month of April,” GM Brian Cashman said. “You couldn’t print what was going through my head and coming out my mouth. Seeing him in such pain on the field, you worry about him first and foremost.”
Karstens stayed on the ground for a few minutes, but tried to walk it off and took a warmup pitch. Telling Joe Torre he felt OK after that, he tried to resume.
“Every time I pushed off with my toe, it kind of bothered me a little bit,” Karstens said. “But I thought I’d get through it.”
Before the game, Torre made an off-hand comment about line drives hitting pitchers. He was thankful it wasn’t more serious.
“It scared the heck out of everybody,” Torre said while interviewed during the nationally televised Fox game.
Karstens, wearing a soft cast on his right leg over his jeans, bemoaned his bad luck. “I was saying at the hospital, it [stinks],” he said. “I’ve got to come back and come back strong.”