MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -Minnesota Twins center fielder Torii Hunter left Sunday’s game with a bruised left hand against the Milwaukee Brewers after a pitch from Jeff Suppan hit him in the first inning.
With a runner on third and two outs, Suppan’s breaking ball got away from him and came in high and tight on Hunter, who tried to back away. But Hunter moved too late, and the pitch hit him on the hand.
Hunter grimaced in pain and doubled over a few feet down the first-base line, and a team trainer came out to examine him along with Hunter’s son, who was serving as a bat boy on Father’s Day. The trainer appeared to be examining the knuckle on the forefinger of his left hand.
Hunter initially tried to stay in the game, but then quickly jogged off first base and was replaced by pinch runner Lew Ford, who also took over in center field for the six-time Gold Glove winner.
Hunter is day-to-day and is not expected to need X-rays.
If Hunter is lost for any significant stretch of time, it would be a huge blow to the offensively challenged Twins. In the final year of his contract, Hunter is hitting .307 with 14 homers and 54 RBIs.
The heart and soul of the clubhouse, Hunter is one of only two Twins – along with MVP Justin Morneau – to have double-digit homers and had a 23-game hitting streak earlier this year.
Add A Comment