New York Yankees third baseman Oswaldo Cabrera suffered a fractured left ankle in their win over the Seattle Mariners on Monday night, the team has announced.
Cabrera was rushed off the field in an ambulance and taken to hospital after breaking his ankle in a terrifying moment as the Yankees closed in on a routine victory over the Mariners in Seattle.
As he slid in to home plate to make the score 11-5, the 26-year-old was left in excruciating pain when his ankle bent backwards in gruesome fashion, before medics quickly entered to help him.
The game was then subject to a lengthy delay as he was loaded onto a stretcher and placed in the back of an ambulance.
One day on from his horror injury, the Yankees have confirmed that Cabrera fractured his left ankle after placing him on the 10-day injury list ahead of their second outing against the Mariners on Tuesday.
WARNING – GRUESOME CONTENT BELOW
Yankees star Oswaldo Cabrera fractured his left ankle against the Mariners on Monday night
Cabrera was rushed off the field in an ambulance and taken to hospital after the horror injury
It will of course take him significantly longer to recover from the problem, with the standard recovery time for a broken ankle believed to be six to 12 weeks depending on the severity of the fracture and whether surgery is required.
‘He’s at the hospital,’ manager Aaron Boone said after Monday’s game. ‘I think everyone understands it was a pretty serious situation.
‘Just praying for our guy Cabby tonight and hoping for the best.’
Boone also added that Cabrera had asked teammate Aaron Judge ‘did I score?’ before he was loaded onto the ambulance despite being in clear pain.
The Venezuelan star has appeared in every position for the Yankees apart from catcher and his teammates were visibly distraught by the injury.
During the delay, players from both teams took a knee and the stadium fell silent as coaches tried to console him on the floor.
In the game itself, the Yankees saw out the 11-5 victory to take the first game of the series and move their season record to 24-17.
The Yankees are top of the AL East, with the Boston Red Sox 2.5 games back.
