HOUSTON ā Texas Rangers reliever Brock Burke broke his non-throwing hand while punching a wall following a poor outing Friday night against the Houston Astros.
Manager Bruce Bochy said Burke, who is a left-hander, broke his right hand when he punched the wall āout of frustration" and was placed on the injured list Saturday.
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The 27-year-old allowed three hits and four runs in the seventh inning of his team's 12-8 win.
āWe want our guys, our athletes to be competitive and hate to lose, but with that passion thereās a fine edge, and when you cross that line thereās going to be consequences,ā Bochy said. āAnd we just saw what happened there. You love the fact that he was upset with not helping the club last night ... but it just wasnāt a smart move.ā
Burke is making $1,035,000 this season and will continue to earn his salary while out with the injury.
The Astros were unhappy at Burke's plunking of the elbow of slugger Yordan Alvarez after almost hitting him on three previous pitches inside. Alvarez stared Burke down before trotting to first base. Kyle Tucker sent Burke's next pitch into the second deck in left field for his second home of the game and punctuated it with a bat flip.
Bochy denied that Burke, who has a 15.00 ERA in five appearances this season, was trying to hit Alvarez.
āAny team would be upset in that situation with pitches, when heās struggling trying to throw strikes,ā Bochy said. āFour pitches go at their guy. Just like weāre going to be upset. But Burke was out there ā¦ because heās trying to find his game. He wouldnāt have been in that game if he had good command and control.ā
Bochy said he hasn't had a chance to talk to Burke about what happened yet, but he plans to have a conversation about it.
āObviously, he regrets it,ā Bochy said. āSometimes you donāt have time to think about what the consequences may be. Youāre just that upset and that frustrated. Thatās the passion to do well (and) hate to lose. Itās not the first time Iāve seen it.ā
In 2022, Astros reliever Phil Maton broke his right pinkie when he punched a locker in frustration after Houstonās regular-season finale, causing him to miss the postseason.
In 2004, Yankees right-hander Kevin Brown broke his non-pitching hand when he punched a wall in the clubhouse.
Right-hander Austin Pruitt was called up from Triple-A Round Rock to take Burke's spot on the roster.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB