The New York Yankees may have won the call, but they lost a first baseman.
The Yankees announced today that catcher/first baseman Francisco Cervelli will head to the 15-day disabled list for a strained hamstring that he suffered during a controversial play against the Boston Red Sox on Sunday night at Yankee Stadium.
With runners on first and third and one out in the fourth inning, Cervelli hit a grounder to third base that was ruled an inning-ending double play on the field. The call was reversed to a run-scoring fielder’s choice, however, after Yankees manager Joe Girardi challenged the play.
The reversed call prompted a strong response from Red Sox manager John Farrell, who was ejected from the game and had some harsh words for the MLB replay system after the game, a 3-2 Red Sox loss.
Perhaps lost in the aftermath of the play, though, was the injury to Cervelli, who collapsed to the ground immediately after touching first base. He then left the game, forcing outfielder Carlos Beltran to make his first career appearance at first base in Cervelli’s absence. It was Cervelli’s second career game at first base.
Cervelli’s injury could cause short-term issues at first base for the depleted Yankees, who are still waiting for first baseman Mark Teixeira to return off the disabled list after he strained his hamstring on April 5.
