Phillies right-hander Vince Velasquez suffered what appeared to be a serious injury to his pitching arm Saturday. The pain didn't stop him from making one of the more improbable defensive plays of the major-league season.
Velasquez was nailed by a 96 mph line drive hit by Nationals outfielder Adam Eaton in the third inning. He ignored the pain long enough to throw a left-handed strike to first base ("He's ambidextrous," Phils play-by-play man Tom McCarthy said on the air) and get the out.
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He went to the ground immediately after the throw and rolled around on the infield grass.
Velasquez did not return to the game. The Phillies later announced he suffered a bruise to his right forearm. The team has not said whether Velasquez will miss additional time.
"It was more of a scare" than a dire situation, Velasquez told reporters afterward, per Philly.com.
The 26-year-old Velasquez came into the game with a 4.69 ERA in 86 1/3 innings, but he had been more effective recently (3.79 ERA over his previous three starts covering 19 innings).
