“That's a bad spot to get hit,” backup catcher Andrew Knizner said. “Especially at 103. So hopefully, it's nothing too serious and just a bad bruise.”
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Benjamin Hochman
On a day with 34 hits, the most-damaging hit of them all might’ve been a pitch that hit a catcher’s knee.
St. Louis and its Cardinals must anxiously wait for news about Willson Contreras’ right knee contusion.
But in just a matter of hours in the very first game, we witnessed the importance of Contreras in the Cardinals’ lineup … and the dire situation it would be without him.
In the eighth inning of the 10-9 loss to Toronto, a 102.7-mph Jordan Hicks pitch nailed Contreras’ knee. The former All-Star catcher walked gingerly off the field — and into the unknown.
The X-rays were negative. Contreras left to get an MRI and didn’t speak to the media postgame.
“That’s a bad spot to get hit,” backup catcher Andrew Knizner said. “Especially at 103. So hopefully, it’s nothing too serious and just a bad bruise.”
nizner is a nice fellow, a hard worker, a liked teammate and an admirable backup. But he’s just not an offensive threat. Or not yet, anyways. With Contreras’ track record, one can surmise the former Cubs catcher would start probably 110-120 games behind the plate (and other games at designated hitter). So that’s 42-52 games already with Knizner’s bat in your lineup (he has a .579 career OPS). An injury to Contreras could sure mean more.