ATLANTA — The Atlanta Braves shared some devastating news on Tuesday night after starting pitcher Charlie Morton left Game 1 of the World Series: his injury will end his season.
In a tweet, the team said it had already performed X-rays and that Morton had fractured his right fibula during the game - in simpler terms, he broke his leg.
"RHP Charlie Morton underwent X-rays tonight that revealed a right fibula fracture," the team said. "He will miss the remainder of the World Series and is expected to be ready for Spring Training in 2022."
The revelation about Morton's injury makes it incredible what he did before leaving the game: On a broken leg, he recorded three outs.
The unbelievable effort by the right-hander came after he was hit in the leg by a comeback ground ball to start the second inning:
After that incident, Morton remained in the game to strike out the next batter, Chas McCormick, and coax a lineout from Martin Maldonado to end the second inning.
Even after returning to the dugout and feeling what must have been significant pain sitting through the Braves' half of the third inning, Morton still didn't come out at that point. Instead, he went out for the bottom of the third and struck out Jose Altuve, coming up in pain after the strikeout pitch.
It's terrible news for Morton and the Braves. He's one of their most seasoned and reliable postseason performers, and he's been a clubhouse leader all season.
Hats off to him for his remarkable show of resiliency.
