The Puerto Rican, who missed last season due to an injury suffered in the World Classic, returned to the mound with a great performance.
Edwin Díaz was injured in the most unexpected way. He was celebrating a victory for Puerto Rico in the 2023 World Classic, after closing the match, and was injured on the mound, surrounded by his teammates who did not understand the situation.
That injury led him to miss all of 2023 with the New York Mets, in what is considered one of the most sensitive losses that the tournament of nations has left in its entire history. The Queens team was without its star closer for one season.
After a full schedule, the Puerto Rican pitched again, at the Mets training camp, in a preparation game against the Miami Marlins.
“It was crazy because I heard people screaming and everything,” Díaz declared after the game. “I was trying to control my emotions at the time because I had to do my job, even though it was a preseason game. “I took this game as if it had been the regular season.”
But Diaz appears to have picked up where he left them. He threw 14 pitches, made eight swings (seven of them swinging), and struck out all three batters he faced.
“He looked ‘electric,’ and we knew that every time he got the ball, he closed the door,” teammate Pete Alonso told MLB.com. “As soon as we found out he was going to take the mound, we knew he was going to dominate.”
“I wanted to make sure all my pitches were the same as before I got on a big league mound,” Díaz explained. “I knew I was going to be good, but three strikeouts in my first appearance was unbelievable.”
Source: FanSided
2024-03-15 18:00:17
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