NEW YORK — Edwin Diaz didn’t immediately know how badly his knee was injured. He was elated after striking out the side for Puerto Rico on March 15, helping his country defeat the favored Dominicans and advance to the World Baseball Classic quarterfinals.
The celebration just sort of happened. The team surrounded him and everyone began jumping around in a huddle. And then, suddenly, he was on the ground. His brother Alexis in tears, blaming himself for the injury.
Next came the diagnosis — a torn patellar tendon — the controversy surrounding the WBC and surgery for the highest-paid closer in baseball.