The New York Yankees finished off their best-of-five American League Division Series against the Cleveland Guardians victoriously. However, they didn’t do so unscathed, losing veteran outfielder Aaron Hicks in the process.
Hicks, who patrolled left field in New York’s starting lineup Tuesday, made an early departure after colliding with shortstop Oswaldo Cabrera while the two chased down a shallow fly ball off the bat of Guardians’ Steve Kwan in the top of the third inning. Hicks went down to the ground, suffering a knee injury, and was assisted off the field shortly after the play.
However, after the game, Hicks revealed the severity of his injury when meeting with the media after undergoing an MRI at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, according to the Yankees.
“I’m gonna be out for six weeks,” Hicks told reporters, per Yankees video. “And pretty much my seasons over. (It’s) extremely disappointing. Obviously, (this season) is something special and I wanna be a part of it. … And now I’m no longer gonna be able to play on the field to do my best to help this team win and win a World Series. … Now I just gotta watch on the sidelines.”
Yankees manager Aaron Boone replaced Hicks, who went 0-for-1 at the plate, with Marwin Gonzalez.
In two postseason games, Hicks totaled three at-bats while recording no hits and one walk. The 33-year-old finished his seventh campaign with the Yankees hitting .216/.330/.313 with eight home runs and 40 RBIs in 130 games played.
The Yankees proceeded to take Game 5, 5-1, eliminating the Guardians and punching their ticket to a best-of-seven AL Championship Series meet against the Houston Astros — giving the Yankees a shot at their first World Series appearance since 2009.
