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The New York Yankees built on their lead in the American League East division with a win on Monday, but it came with a major loss.
While trying to reach home plate after a ninth-inning sacrifice fly from Aaron Judge, Yankees infielder Oswaldo Cabrera dodged a tag, planted his foot to reverse course and suffered a gruesome ankle injury.
Ultimately, Cabrera had to be carted off the field and taken to a nearby hospital. It seems the rest of his season could be in jeopardy.
But as he laid there in pain, he offered an inspiring message to Judge, who had come to check on him.
“Judge knelt and spoke to Cabrera, who — just before being secured to a stretcher and placed in a medical van — asked: ‘Judgie, did I score?’” per NorthJersey.com’s Pete Caldera.
“Kind of shows you what type of guy he is,” Judge said later of Cabrera’s message. “He loves being a Yankee, he wears his jersey with pride.”
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The Yankees already have multiple players on the injured list and the loss of Cabrera will likely force the team to place DJ LeMahieu at third in his own return from injury on Tuesday, while the team sticks with a platoon at second base as the injured Jazz Chisholm Jr. makes his way back.
In the immediate wake of this latest blow, though, the team’s thoughts were on Cabrera and the type of locker room presence he provides.
“He’s as good as it gets, one of the best people you’re ever going to come across,” said manager Aaron Boone, according to Caldera. “Your heart breaks.”
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Peter Chawaga is a veteran journalist covering Major League Baseball for The Sporting News. His MLB reporting has included feature interviews with commissioner Rob Manfred and Hall of Fame slugger David Ortiz, salary analysis, player rankings and more. He has covered baseball for Forbes, Yardbarker, Pitcher List, Athlon and other outlets.
With over ten years of newsroom experience, he has previously covered finance, technology, arts, and culture for newspapers, magazines, and websites nationwide. He graduated from Wake Forest University with a degree in English and journalism.
English (US)