MIAMI (AP) — Jose Altuve exited Venezuela’s World Baseball Classic quarterfinal against the United States after he was hit on his right hand by a pitch from Daniel Bard on Saturday night.
The Houston Astros second baseman, an eight-time All-Star and the 2017 American League MVP, fell to the field after he was struck by the 95.9 mph sinker in the fifth inning. He grimaced as he walked off with an athletic trainer, and Altuve was replaced by Luis Rengifo.
“The Astros will provide an update tomorrow after further evaluation,” the club said in a statement.
Bard relieved Lance Lynn to start the inning and was wild throughout, walking two batters and throwing a pair of wild pitches. Bard, a 37-year-old Colorado right-hander, allowed all four batters who faced him to reached base as Venezuela overcame a three-run deficit to take a 6-5 lead.
___ AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
