After the buoyancy of a three-run first inning and a genuine offensive rush, the Cardinals felt a potential sudden, wrenching shift in their season when catcher Willson Contreras screamed out in anguish as a bat fractured his left forearm.
In the second inning, New York Mets designated hitter J. D. Martinez took a swing and his bat dropped down and hard into Contreras’ forearm. The swing collided with the middle of Contreras’ forearm and carried through to Contreras’ wrist. The Cardinals’ catcher raced from behind the plate, screaming loud enough for fans in front of the third-floor press box to hear him. Eventually he sat near the on-deck circle, his legs straight out, his eyes pinched, and his forearm cradled in an immobile pinch by the Cardinals’ head athletic trainer.
Contreras left the field and left the game after several minutes.
A scan taken at the ballpark revealed the fracture that will cause Contreras to miss a significant amount of time. A Cardinals official announced that the catcher had been diagnosed with a fractured left arm, and the severity of the break and other details will be clearer after the game.
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Ivan Herrera replaced Contreras at catcher with the Cardinals leading, 3-0, in the top of the second inning. At Class AAA Memphis, catcher Pedro Pages was replaced by a pinch-hitter and is presumably on his way to ºüÀêÊÓƵ to be activated ahead of Wednesday's game.
Contreras, of course, was part of the initiating rally.
In the first, the Cardinals pushed for three runs, as many or more than they’ve scored in nearly a third of their first 35 games this season. Batting third to start Tuesday’s game at Busch Stadium, Contreras ripped a line drive that was hit so hard that it stayed on a line, glanced off the left fielder’s glove, and still had the power to carry to the wall. His double put two runners in scoring position and both of them scored.
The double left Contreras’ bat at 113.1 mph – one of the hardest hits of the Cardinals’ season so far.
Entering the game, Contreras was the Cardinals’ leader on offense with six home runs, a .274 average, a .538 slugging percentage, and 12 RBIs to go with 19 runs scored. His RBI double was one of the pivotal hits in the Cardinals’ three-run inning Monday night before they lost, 4-3, to the New York Mets and continued a losing streak that reached three games.
The Cardinals recently returned catcher Pages to Class AAA Memphis. Pages has earned the trust of the pitching staff with his cameos in the majors this season and his work during spring training. Although he has not been in the minors for the mandatory minimum amount of days following a demotion, Pages would be immediately eligible to return to the majors due to an injury.
Adding error to injury, Contreras was called for a catcher's interference on the Martinez swing. Martinez was given first base, and that is where he watched Contreras writhe and then sit in pain.