Red Sox pitcher allegedly broke Yankees bat’s arm in on-field incident

The Boston Red Sox won two of three games against their rivals New York Yankees over the weekend, but that may not have been the biggest blow the Evil Empire suffered in this series.

New York lost one of its key players in the final game of the series on Sunday, which Boston won 9-3, in an on-field collision at first base with left-handed reliever Brennan Bernardino.

“New York Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo has a fracture in his right arm that will not require surgery, according to a person familiar with the injury,” Ken Rosenthal, Brendan Kuty and Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reported Monday. “He could be out for an estimated four to six weeks, said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly.”

While covering the bag, a throw sent Bernardino into the running lane and caused a collision with Rizzo. The contact did not appear to be the cause of the injury – it was the fall that caused the damage.

While some in the comments were quick to blame Bernardino for an unnecessary hip check from the left-hander, it’s worth noting that Bernardino’s listed weight is 60 pounds under Rizzo and was standing still while the Yankees hitter ran at full speed.

He had to brace himself for the impact that was coming his way. What happened to Rizzo was unfortunate, but in no way caused by any malicious intent on Bernardino’s part.

Rizzo had a .223 batting average with 15 extra-base hits, including eight home runs, 28 RBIs and a .630 OPS in 70 games, while his best form seems to be slowly coming to an end. Although he is still far from his 32-homer season in 2022, the Yankees will still feel the absence of one of their best leaders.

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