Charlie Morton truly left it all on the mound in his three innings of work in Game 1 of the MLB World Series. The Atlanta Braves starter was hit on his right leg when Houston Astros first baseman Yuli Gurriel hit a comebacker that went right at Morton in the second inning.
What only looked like a bad knock eventually led to an x-ray that showed the pitcher had a right fibula fracture which will now shelve him for the rest of the World Series and Morton is expected to return for Spring training in 2022.
Morton still managed to pitch 16 more times on a broken leg before the pain forced him out of the game. The Atlanta Braves earned a big 6-2 win to take game 1 of the fall classic. In the locker room the right hander apologized to his teammates for not going a bit more!
Teammates praise Charlie Morton for pitching on a broken leg
Charlie Morton #50 of the Atlanta Braves is taken out of the game against the Houston Astros during the third inning in Game One of the World Series (Getty Images)
That gutsy showing made an impact on Morton’s Braves teammates who were quick to point out the 37-year-olds courage. “And if that doesn’t tell you everything you need to know about Charlie Morton… I’m not sure what does” Freddie Freeman said.
“(Morton) was doing exactly what we hired him to do… Bring credibility. He did it all year. He did it tonight. And I hate it for him. He really is the kind of guy that would break his leg and say he’s sorry” Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said.
“Everyone knows his résumé, and his humility is something you wouldn’t expect from someone with that kind of résumé. He’s just so genuine all the time, very open with anything he’s thinking to anybody. Doesn’t matter if you’ve never played a day in your life or you’ve got 20 years in the big leagues” Atlanta Braves catcher Travis d’Arnaud said.
The Braves take their 1-0 series advantage over the Astros back to Minute Maid Park tonight at 8:09 PM EST for Game 2 of the fall classic.
