Altuve feeling OK despite HBP, early exit
MINNEAPOLIS -- Astros second baseman Jose Altuve, who was voted in as the starter at second base for the American League in the All-Star Game earlier this week, escaped serious injury after being hit on the left hand with a pitch in Friday’s 13-12 win over the Twins.
Altuve went to the ground after being struck by a 94.3 mph sinker from Twins pitcher Josh Winder in the eighth inning. Astros manager Joe Espada darted from the dugout immediately to check on him, and Altuve soon walked to the dugout with Espada and head athletic trainer Jeremiah Randall.
"It hurt, so when he came out there and tried to grab Jeremiah’s hand, there wasn’t much strength,” Espada said. “That’s when we ruled [him] out of the game."
Altuve said he was initially worried about the hand when he was hit, but was feeling better postgame after X-rays came back negative. He acknowledged there was still some adrenaline flowing through his hand, though.
"It got me pretty good on the hand,” he said. "I got a little worried and painful, so I came out of the game. … I’ll see how it feels tomorrow, but I think I’ll be fine."
Altuve missed the first 43 games of last season after being hit by a pitch in the World Baseball Classic in March and fracturing his right thumb.
"The first thing you think, especially when you’ve been there before, is ‘something’s wrong,’” Altuve said. “Thank God everything is going good right now and hopefully tomorrow, I’ll be back."
Altuve went 2-for-4 in the wild win with a clutch catch in the outfield Friday to rob Twins shortstop Carlos Correa of a hit and save two runs. Correa was hit on the hand by a pitch last month and was able to avoid a serious injury as well, so he was relieved his former teammate was OK.
"He’s a great friend of mine,” Correa said. "We have great memories together. I texted him right away, no fracture, so it’s all good. It’s all good."
Astros third baseman Alex Bregman, who was hit twice on the hand/wrist earlier this year in a span of three days, joined his teammates in breathing a sigh of relief.
"Guys are getting hit in the hand across the league like crazy now,” he said. “We were definitely very concerned, but glad that everything is good."