Astros' Maton breaks finger punching locker, will miss playoffs

Houston Astros relief pitcher Phil Maton. Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Astros reliever Phil Maton breaks finger after punching locker, will miss rest of playoffs

By Victor Barbosa | Last updated 10/11/22

David Robertson of the Philadelphia Phillies isn't the only relief pitcher who recently suffered a bizarre, self-inflicted injury that will cost him time in the postseason.

Astros reliever Phil Maton said he punched a locker on Wednesday. He broke the fifth metacarpal bone in his hand. It eliminated him from contention for the postseason roster, and he won’t be able to pitch until next season.
— Sam Blum (@SamBlum3) October 11, 2022

Here are the details from Astros pitcher Phil Maton breaking his hand after punching his locker Wednesday. pic.twitter.com/yU3ysLFRCN
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) October 11, 2022

Ironically, the poor outing which led to Maton punching his locker and suffering the injury was a contest against the Phillies, in which the hurler allowed a single to his brother, Nick Maton.

The sixth-year righty was traded from Cleveland to Houston in July 2021 and he was strong in last year's World Series loss to the Atlanta Braves, allowing no runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out eight across 5 2/3 innings pitched covering five outings. Maton went 0-2 with a career-best 3.84 ERA and 1.24 WHIP this season, along with 73 strikeouts over 65 2/3 innings pitched in 67 games.

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