Atlanta Braves pitcher Tim Hudson likely suffered a season-ending injury on Wednesday night against the New York Mets, fracturing his ankle while covering first base on a seemingly routine play.
According to the Braves' official Twitter account, Hudson will have surgery on the ankle as soon as the swelling subsides.
In the eighth inning, with the Braves leading 6-0, Hudson got hurt at first base while covering the bag on a soft groundout, the unfortunate convergence of Mets outfielder Eric Young Jr. awkwardly lunging toward the base and stepping on Hudson's right ankle in the process.
"It's a freak play," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said after the game. "Two guys going for the bag and E.Y. just stepped on him and Huddy had his foot on the bag. Freak play. You cover the bag a thousand times and that stuff never happens."
Hudson (two runs allowed, nine strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings) immediately fell to the ground, writhing in pain, with a number of teammates (along with the Mets' Young) rushing to his aid.
The collective silence of the Citi Field crowd unwittingly signaled that, by all accounts, this wasn't some run-of-the-mill injury involving a veteran pitcher. At first blush, it had the appearance of a potentially devastating occurrence for Hudson, who turned 38 on July 14.
"That's just the way it goes sometimes," Gonzalez said. "We're talking about a guy that had a chance to complete a game and (throw) the shutout, the whole thing, and now you don't even hear music in the clubhouse."
The Braves (57-44), who expanded their National League East lead to a season-high eight games, were already shorthanded at starting pitcher, recently placing southpaw Paul Maholm on the 15-day disabled list.
Through eight-plus seasons with Atlanta, Hudson has a 113-72 record, 3.55 ERA and 1.24 WHIP.
