Atlanta Braves pitcher Charlie Morton broke his leg during Game 1 of the World Series but continued to play for a short amount of time before finally exiting the game. Morton suffered a fractured right fibula after being struck on the shin by a comebacker from Houston Astros player Yuli Gurriel in the second inning. He remained in the game to finish the inning and got the first out of the third inning. His final pitch was a curveball to Jose Altuve who struck out.
“It’s incredible that he even thought of going out there, and I bet you it was so A.J. [Minter, the left-hander who came on in emergency relief] could have some more time to get ready. He sacrificed himself,” Braves catcher Travis d’Arnaud said, per MLB.com. “I don’t think he knew it was broken right away, but he knew it was hurting. For him to sacrifice himself to make sure A.J. was ready and for him to strike out Altuve is incredible.”
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When Morton left the game, he underwent X-rays at Minute Maid Park that revealed the fracture. He will miss the remainder of the World Series but will return to the team at the start of the 2022 season. He signed a $20 million contract extension with the Braves early last month.
“Obviously, it was extremely challenging for us,” Braves designated hitter Jorge Soler said. “We saw him getting treatment and getting worked on. He went back out there to pitch on that broken leg. It was really challenging and emotional for us to have to see him in the game being hurt, our World Series opener, our starter.” Despite Morton leaving the game, the Braves came away with a 6-2 win. It’s the first time since 1996 the Braves have won a World Series game. They are taking on an Astros team that won the World Series in 2017 and playing in their third World Series in five seasons.
“We’ve been through this many times this year,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said, “losing key components to our club. I mean, really key components. We’re going to continue. It’s not going to be an excuse or anything else. We’re going to go out and continue to try and win games.”
