Phil Maton of the Houston Astros will miss the MLB postseason after breaking his finger punching a locker.
Maton revealed on Tuesday that he fractured his right pinkie after becoming frustrated after the Astros lost their final regular-season game.
On Monday, the pitcher underwent surgery to repair a fractured finger on his pitching hand.
Maton and veteran reliever Will Smith had already been left off the Astros’ roster for the AL Division Series against the Seattle Mariners.
Maton, 29, allowed two hits and two runs in the eighth inning of Houston’s 3-2 win over Philadelphia last week. Phil Maton’s brother, Nick Maton, had one of those hits.
“I was upset with how my outing went, and it’s kind of shortsighted and ultimately selfish. And it’s one of those things that I hope doesn’t affect our team moving forward,” Maton said Tuesday.
Astros RHP Phil Maton fractured his fifth metacarpal Wednesday after punching his locker after a performance in which he gave up a hit to his brother. He has season-ending surgery Monday. pic.twitter.com/36o1wbbq0w
— Jose de Jesus Ortiz (@OrtizKicks) October 11, 2022
Smith joined the Astros’ roster after being acquired from the Braves at the MLB trade deadline. During the regular season, he had a 3.27 ERA in 24 appearances for Houston. In 67 games this season, Maton had a 3.84 ERA.
Hunter Brown, a rookie right-hander, was named to the ALDS roster, along with 12 other pitchers. On the postseason roster, the team also had an extra position player, rookie infielder David Hensley.
Justin Verlander, Framber Valdez, Lance McCullers Jr., Luis Garcia, Jose Urquidi, Cristian Javier, Ryne Stanek, Ryan Pressly, Bryan Abreu, Rafael Montero, and Hector Neris are the rest of Houston’s pitchers.
Phil Maton’s right hand is in a cast after surgery yesterday. He punched his locker after his last outing because he “was upset,” calling it a “selfish” move and is hopeful it won’t affect the Astros going forward. pic.twitter.com/U2gm5qqzED
— Mark Berman (@MarkBerman_) October 11, 2022
Against Seattle, Houston will field two catchers, eight infielders, and four outfielders.
The Mariners will have 12 pitchers, three catchers, five infielders, four outfielders, and utility players Adam Frazier and Dylan Moore on their roster.
Logan Gilbert, Luis Castillo, Diego Castillo, Matthew Boyd, Matt Festa, Matt Brash, George Kirby, Andres Munoz, Penn Murfee, Robbie Ray, Paul Sewald, and Erik Swanson will pitch in this series.