ST. LOUIS ā Milwaukee Brewers reliever Devin Williams fractured his throwing hand when he punched a wall after his team celebrated its NL Central title, likely knocking him out for the entire postseason.
Brewers president of baseball operations David Stearns said before the Brewersā Wednesday night game with the St. Louis Cardinals that Williamsā injury likely will require surgery. Stearns said thereās an āoutside chanceā the 2020 NL rookie of the year could be available for the World Series if the Brewers get that far.
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The Brewers clinched the division crown Sunday by beating the New York Mets 8-4 in their regular-season home finale.
āAfter our celebration, I went out to have a few drinks,ā Williams said Wednesday. āOn my way home, I was a little frustrated and upset, and I punched a wall. Thatās how it happened.ā
The injury leaves the Brewers without their main setup man for All-Star closer Josh Hader.
āI donāt think itās going to be one player who fills that role,ā manager Craig Counsell said. āI think itās going to be multiple players that fill that role. And when you say the role, donāt think about the regular season is what I guess I would say. Itās going to be a pitcher. Itās not necessarily going to be a reliever. We have to get 27 outs to win a playoff game. Thatās truly how we see it.ā
Williams, a 27-year-old right-hander, has an 8-2 record with a 2.50 ERA in 58 games this season. He has struck out 87 batters in 54 innings. Opponents are batting .186 against him.
Last year as a rookie, Williams went 4-1 with an 0.33 ERA in 22 appearances while striking out 53 batters in 27 innings, and opponents batted .090 against him.
Williams initially didnāt realize the severity of his injury.
āDevin actually tried to throw with this yesterday,ā Stearns said. āWe were not aware of this. He went out and tried to throw. I think at that point, he recognized that he had hurt himself.ā
Stearns said Williams then notified the Brewersā medical staff. Williams received an X-ray during Tuesdayās game that revealed the fracture.
Williams apologized to the Brewers and their fans for the circumstances that led to his injury.
āIām pretty upset with myself,ā Williams said. āThereās no one to blame but me. I feel like Iāve let my team down ā our coaching staff, our fans, everyone. I know how big of a role that I play on this team. Thereās a lot of people counting on me. I guess all I can do now is cheer my team on and learn from it and donāt make that same mistake in the future.ā
First baseman Daniel Vogelbach said Williams' teammates have his back.
āItās not something that you expect to hear but good for him for standing up,ā Vogelbach said after the Brewers beat St. Louis on Wednesday night. āIt takes a man to be able to stand up and talk about it and admit it and talk to you guys about it. Good for him. Everybody makes mistakes and itās easy to point fingers, but I think itās what weāve done all year and thatās pick each other up.ā
The Brewers placed Williams on the injured list. They recalled right-handed pitcher Colin Rea from Triple-A Nashville and designated utilityman Tim Lopes for assignment.
āThe way we look at it now is itās an opportunity for someone else,ā Counsell said. āSomebody else is going to get a big job in the postseason and an opportunity to help us win.ā
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