Infielder Joshua Kuroda-Grauer may have broken a record against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday, but it came at the cost of breaking something else, too.
The Athletics player had just hit his first MLB home run, but his hot streak soon came to an end in the fifth inning in the worst way possible.
'I think he might be the only player in major league history.'
Kuroda-Grauer took a big swing and fouled a ball that, in most cases, would either land harmlessly near the batter's box or bounce off his foot or leg.
On this occasion the odds were not in the young player's favor when he smashed the foul ball right off his groin. First dropping to his knees, Kuroda-Grauer appeared to be in excruciating pain before eventually lying flat on the ground motionless for some time.
After about three and a half minutes, the 23-year-old somehow got to his feet and stepped back up to the plate — and, remarkably, smacked a single to right field.
Kuroda-Grauer was even able to come out and play defense in the bottom of the inning, but ESPN reported later in the evening that the player left the game in the sixth inning and was taken to the hospital for emergency surgery for a ruptured testicle.
RELATED: The surprising history behind 'Take Me Out to the Ball Game' — the anthem of America's pastime
By continuing to play, and even get a hit, Kuroda-Grauer showed an insane amount of grit and determination that only an MLB manager can truly appreciate.
"I think he might be the only player in Major League history to, you know, fracture a testicle, stay in the game, get a hit, and not only that, play a half-inning of defense," Athletics manager Mark Kotsay told a reporter on Tuesday. "It shows the fight that this kid has, desire to be on the field, and just the will and the want. It's pretty remarkable."
Taking time to consider the gruesome injury, Kotsay said it was indeed "bad timing."
Kuroda-Grauer, a New Jersey native, was just called up to the majors for the first time at the end of June. Monday's game was only his 16th in the big show, where he was batting a whopping .417 with 25 hits in 60 at-bats.
At the same time, the Athletics had been sticking around the middle of the pack in the American League, with their young stars seemingly starting to figure things out — that is, until a late-June collapse saw the team lose 14 out of 15 games. The team losing its hottest bat in Kuroda-Grauer simply adds even more insult to injury.
The A's did manage to beat the Diamondbacks on Monday, though, 5-2.
RELATED: Whitlock: MLB can’t spend 'Pride Month' mocking America and then wave a flag
Kuroda-Grauer is recovering well, according to his manager, who said the infielder had to stay in hospital for a second night.
"He'll stay one more night in the hospital and then travel back to Sac," Kotsay said unironically, referring to Sacramento.
Shockingly, Kuroda-Grauer was only placed on the 10-day injured list following his surgery, meaning he could return to action in the first week of August.
"There's no real timeline for this," Kotsay added. "It's obviously a unique injury. [I'm] thankful that he's going to be fine and [this] doesn't impact his life."
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
Continue reading...
[H/T Blaze Media]
