Phil Maton let his anger get the best of him, and it is going to cost him the chance to pitch in the playoffs.
The Houston Astros reliever revealed on Tuesday that he broke a bone in his right pinkie while punching his locker on the final day of the regular season. Maton gave up two runs – along with a single to his brother, Nick Maton – in one-third of an inning in what turned out to be a 3-2 Astros win over the Philadelphia Phillies.
“It was a short-sighted move and, ultimately, it was selfish,” Maton said on Tuesday (h/t ESPN). “It's one of those things that I hope doesn't affect our team moving forward.”
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Maton said he had surgery on Monday and is turning his attention to next season. The 29-year-old went 0-2 across 67 appearances and posted a 3.84 ERA for the Astros in 2022.
The top-seeded Astros left Maton and fellow reliever Will Smith off their postseason roster. In their place, the team added two rookies, right-hander Hunter Brown and infielder David Hensley.
After earning a bye for the Wild Card Series, Houston opens up the postseason on Tuesday with Game 1 of the ALDS against the fifth-seeded Seattle Mariners. AL Cy Young favorite Justin Verlander is on the mound for Houston against Seattle starter Logan Gilbert.