Edwin Díaz suffered what likely is a season-ending injury Wednesday night during Puerto Rico's celebration in the World Baseball Classic.
The New York Mets pitcher closed out the game that sent Puerto Rico to the quarterfinals after a thrilling win over the Dominican Republic. His teammates began celebrating on the mound when Díaz fell to the ground and needed a wheelchair to get off the field.
Díaz's and his teammates were emotional as uncertainty hung in the balance about their friend.
The Mets on Thursday confirmed the worst when they revealed Díaz suffered a full-thickness tear in his patellar tendon and likely will miss the entire 2023 Major League Baseball season. He will undergo surgery Thursday.
It's a big loss for the Mets and for Puerto Rico, and Díaz's injury has raised questions about whether MLB players should participate in the WBC due to risk of injuries like the one Díaz suffered. But it's worth noting that freak injuries can happen at any time. Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Gavin Lux tore his ACL in a spring training game, and Mariano Rivera tore his shagging fly balls in the outfield in 2012.
Not to mention the fact of how much the WBC means for the players to be able to represent their home countries.
Now the Mets must prepare for 2023 without Díaz while Puerto Rico has to go on without him on the mound for its game against Mexico on Friday night.
