First, Edwin Díaz closed out Puerto Rico’s win over the Dominican Republic, striking out three to seal a team berth in the next round of the World Baseball Classic. Then, everything stopped.
Surrounded by joyous teammates, Díaz crumpled to the ground amid Puerto Rico’s infield celebration. What seemed at first like perhaps a mild injury soon looked much worse. Díaz was helped into a wheelchair and taken down the tunnel. Left behind were stunned teammates, some of them now in tears, including Díaz’s brother, Alexis.
The Mets—Díaz’s MLB team—announced Thursday that the pitcher will need surgery for a torn patellar tendon in his right knee. With a typical recovery of eight months, he will likely miss the entire season. It represents a nightmare scenario for Díaz himself, of course; for Team Puerto Rico, set to play on without a beloved teammate; for the Mets, figuring out their bullpen anew in a season with championship aspirations. And for the WBC—taking place for the first time in six years, an example of what happens when the biggest stars in the game share one tournament and now an example of what happens when those stars get hurt, too.
