MLB
The Cubs’ Opening Day took a disastrous flip when ace Justin Steele exited within the fifth inning with a hamstring damage.
Steele bolted off the mound to subject a bunt from Rangers heart fielder Leody Taveras with one out and a runner on first, however after a few strides — the place he picked up the ball, shifted it to his left hand and flipped it to Michael Busch at first base — towards the baseline, Steele tumbled over and grabbed behind his left thigh.
The 28-year-old then exited, ending his first outing of 2024 at 4 ⅔ innings with one earned run, three hits, six strikeouts and one stroll.
After the Cubs’ extra-inning loss, supervisor Craig Counsell mentioned Steele suffered a hamstring pressure and can doubtless be heading to the injured checklist.
“It’s a left hamstring pressure. We’ll get an MRI within the morning, doubtless IL,” the skipper instructed reporters. “It’s only a disgrace. He’s pitching actually, rather well. Clearly, an essential member of the workforce, and appears like we’re gonna miss him for a bit bit right here.
“Properly, this is part of a baseball season. Accidents are gonna occur, and also you gotta rebound from them, you gotta get better from them. The following man’s gotta fill in, after which everyone else has kinda gotta choose up round him. … First day of the season, it in all probability stings a bit worse, however that is gonna be a part of our season and it’s testing us instantly.”
Steele, whom the Cubs drafted within the fifth spherical of 2014 and developed by means of their minor league system, made the primary Opening Day begin of his profession.
He was the primary Cubs draft choose to make that noteworthy begin since Jeff Samardzija in 2014, in line with MLB.com.
“It’s not all the time going to be fairly,” Steele instructed reporters, in line with the outlet. “It’s not all the time going to be the way you considered it. However typically you’ve simply received to place your head down, get by means of the powerful instances, and the sunshine’s all the time brighter on the finish of the tunnel.”
Final 12 months, Steele produced one of the best outcomes of his profession, compiling a 16-5 file with a 3.06 ERA that led to an All-Star Sport look and fifth-place end within the NL Cy Younger voting.
He adopted that up with a 4.91 ERA throughout his 4 spring coaching appearances, however Friday, he exited within the second inning of his outing with a left knee contusion after taking a bouncing comebacker off his leg.
Steele instructed reporters after that spring begin that the contusion was “nothing to fret about,” although.
So he made the Opening Day begin as deliberate, and — principally — cruised by means of the Rangers’ lineup because the Cubs hoped their ace would.
Rangers rookie Wyatt Langford hit a sacrifice fly within the fourth inning, however that was all of the scoring Texas managed.
Julian Merryweather changed Steele on the mound, and after strolling a batter, the right-handed pitcher induced a groundout from Corey Seager to finish the inning.
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