Mattheus Breaks Hand in Rage, Out 4 to 6 Weeks: 'It's Embarrassing'
Washington Nationals pitcher Ryan Mattheus will be out for several games with an injured hand after punching a locker Sunday.
The National's lost 13-4 to the San Diego Padres on Sunday, with Mattheus giving up five runs. Following the game the player became enraged, throwing his pitching hand into his locker. The next day, while playing catch, Mattheus noticed his right hand swelling up.
Nationals manager Davey Johnson noticed right away that Mattheus had a broken hand, according to MLB. He said Mattheus failed to tell him about the locker incident.
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"It was a little late at the time," Johnson said. "He felt real bad about it, but I wish he would have said something of what he did."
As a result of his injury, Mattheus has been placed on a 15-day disabled list. The reliever will be temporarily replaced by outfielder Eury Perez. Johnson has predicted that it will take 4-6 weeks for Mattheus pitching hand to fully recover.
Prior to giving up five runs in one inning on Sunday, Mattheus had an ERA of just 2.35, making him an essential member of the bullpen. Without him, his teammates suggested that it would be a struggle to get by.
"We'll see the situations that we get put in," Lefty reliever Zach Duke told MLB.com. "It changes kind of the dynamic out there, but like I said earlier, we'll find a way to get through it and get people out and win games."
Matheus admitted that he was feeling embarrassed now, about making such a rash decision.
"I was pretty upset, and I let my emotions get the best of me," he told The Washington Post. "I hit my locker, and unfortunately I injured myself. It's pretty embarrassing. It's a tough one to swallow. I feel like I let the other 25 guys down on this team. I let the whole Washington Nationals organization down doing something stupid."
