In the final game of the 2020 regular season and on the eve of their matchup with the Chicago Cubs in the first round of the playoffs, the Miami Marlins suffered an injury which will weaken their pitching staff in October.
Starting pitcher Jose Urena was forced to exit early on Sunday at Yankee Stadium after being hit on the forearm with a comebacker off of the bat of the bat of DJ LeMahieu. The ball, which was tracked by Statcast leaving the bat at 103.9 miles per hour, struck Urena squarely, causing him to drop to the ground in pain.
Leaving after pitching just 2.1 innings, later tests revealed that the ball caused a non-displaced fracture of Urena’s right ulna, an injury which will force him to miss the entirety of the playoffs.
The veteran righty, who threw just 23.1 innings in the regular season after a positive COVID-19 test forced him to miss time, posted a 5.40 regular season ERA. There was talk that Urena could make an impact out of the bullpen for Miami in the playoffs, but manager Don Mattingly will have to look elsewhere for relief help.
The Cubs’ first round series against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field is set to kick off on Wednesday.
