It was a well-struck line drive, coming off Yuli Gurriel’s bat at 102 mph before striking Charlie Morton’s right leg. Only Morton …
It was a well-struck line drive, coming off Yuli Gurriel’s bat at 102 mph before striking Charlie Morton’s right leg. Only Morton knows how bad it hurt, but in just the second inning of Game 1 of the World Series, and with up to six more games remaining with the relentless Houston Astros, Morton was determined to shrug it off. He retired two more batters, returned to the dugout with a slight limp and told catcher Travis d’Arnaud, “That one got me good.” Yet he was not coming out of the game until his leg told him he was done. Turns out that was just one more batter – a strikeout of Jose Altuve to begin the bottom of the third inning. The gorgeous curveball – vintage Morton, a tight 80-mph hammer – dropped into the zone and Morton dropped shortly thereafter,16 pitches after Gurriel’s liner. Sixteen pitches, as it turned out, after he broke his leg. Morton, one of the greatest playoff pitchers of his era, suffered a right fibula fracture in the Braves’ 6-2, Game 1 win. He will miss the rest of this World Series. Yet Morton,37, won’t be forgotten anytime soon. Already lauded by current and former comrades as one of the greatest teammates ever, his final act of the 2021 season will only burnish his rep.
