J.D. exits series finale with left ankle sprain

WASHINGTON -- Of all the things the Red Sox didn’t need in Game No. 162, a freak injury to a key player was high on the list.

But that’s what happened when star slugger J.D. Martinez sprained his left ankle when he tripped over the second-base bag running out to play right field for the bottom of the fifth inning in Boston's 7-5 playoff clinching win over Washington.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora and a member of the training staff went out to check on Martinez, who stayed in the game initially.

But when Martinez’s turn came to bat in the top of the sixth inning, Cora sent up José Iglesias as a pinch-hitter.

Iglesias came through with a single and wound up scoring on a Christian Vázquez single to slim the Nationals’ lead to 5-2.

"He grinded that inning defensively, but today, it was a weird game, man. Because you’re managing tonight, right? But then you see what’s going on in front of you and it’s like, ‘Wow, this is not going our way and there’s different scenarios that can happen,’” Cora said. "You’re trying to stay in the present, thinking in the future. It’s tough to do. But we took him out, Iggy did a good job, he got two hits, played good defense and the guys stepped up, and that’s what we do. Somebody goes down, somebody has to come in and do the job and tonight was really good.”

It is unknown how severe Martinez’s sprain is. Cora said the club will "know more later on, tomorrow."