According to Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez, Stone Garrett had become a clubhouse favorite. Nats right-handed pitcher MacKenzie Gore had a heartfelt reaction to Garrett’s devasting leg injury Wednesday against the New York Yankees.
Garrett got carted off in the field of Yankee Stadium in the seventh inning after attempting a leaping catch on DJ LeMahieu’s home run. Garrett’s foot got caught in the right field wall, sending him crashing to the turf.
The Nats lost the game, 9-1, as Yankees star Aaron Judge belted three home runs. The Yankees snapped a nine-game losing streak. Meanwhile, the Nats suffered just its 11th loss in their last 31 games.
After the game, the Nats clubhouse had Garrett on their mind. Gore fought back tears, trying to speak on the heartbreaking moment.
“Just one of those situations…. just sucks to see,” Gore barely got out before saying, “praying for him.”
The 27-year-old Garrett was an eighth-round draft pick of the Miami Marlins in 2014. He struggled through the minors and contemplated leaving the sport to be a real estate agent in 2021.
However, he tried out for the Arizona Diamondbacks, a tryout he learned about via LinkedIn. He eventually made his MLB debut in 2022. Last winter, he signed a one-year deal with the Nationals.
Recently, Stone Garrett has been instrumental in the upstart Nats’ success on the field. Through 89 games, Garrett hit .269/.343/.457 with nine home runs and 40 RBI.
He had made the most out of living his dream. Garrett had become arguably the best story of the 2023 MLB season. His personality and smile were infectious throughout the Nats organization and with fans and media. Just about everyone who’s followed the Nationals is heartbroken to see such a serious injury happen to a lovable guy like Garrett.
The team is still awaiting X-ray and MRI results, hoping for the best-case scenario.
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