The news keeps getting worse for Cardinals fans.
As first reported by WTPL’s Bob Lobel, right fielder Carlos Beltran was sent to a local Boston hospital with pain in his ribs after robbing David Ortiz of a grand slam in the second inning of this World Series Game 1 at Fenway Park. The Cardinals originally labeled the injury as a “rib contusion,” but it sounds like it could be something much more serious.
Beltran’s elbow and torso collided with the right field well before the ball fell into his glove and the 36-year-old could be seen grimacing and grabbing at his rib cage immediately after. One of the top postseason performers of all time, he’ll be sorely missed if he’s forced to sit out the rest of the series.
The Cardinals put Shane Robinson in right and Jon Jay in center to fill the absence in Game 1.
Here’s a GIF -- courtesy of HardballTalk’s own Bill Baer -- of the spectacular Beltran catch:
Boston has a 5-0 lead on visiting St. Louis as the top of the sixth inning gets underway at Fenway.
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UPDATE, 11:43 p.m. ET: According to FOX’s broadcast, X-rays were negative and Beltran is day-to-day.