Aaron Cook was spiked by Chris Davis on a play at home plate in the second inning Saturday, opening a gash just below his left knee, but he was allowed to continue in the game after going to the Red Sox clubhouse and getting patched up.
As Cook walked off the field with the trainer, Red Sox reliever Clayton Mortensen jogged in from the bullpen to take over on the mound. However, as Mortensen approached the mound, the Red Sox waved him into the dugout. Cook returned to the field within about five minutes, threw two warmup pitches and then got a groundout to end the second inning.
Cook, making his Red Sox debut, opened the game by getting three straight groundouts in the first. He allowed a pair of two-out singles in the second, and a passed ball that followed resulted in a run scoring and Cook’s injury as he was trying to cover home plate. As a result, the Red Sox were down 1-0 after 1 1/2 innings.
Update: Cook probably should have stayed in the clubhouse after the injury. Struggling to keep his sinker down, he gave up four runs before being pulled in the third inning and then was charged with two more after Mortensen came in. Adam Jones’ bomb off a hanging curve probably still hasn’t landed.