Houston Astros right-hander Phil Maton is out for the postseason after undergoing surgery to repair a broken bone in his throwing hand, an injury he sustained after punching his locker.
Maton told reporters Tuesday that he broke the fifth metacarpal in his right pinkie finger last Wednesday, the final day of the regular season, when he punched his locker out of frustration over his outing.
The Astros won the game in question and finished with an American-League best 106-56 record.
Maton underwent surgery Monday. His hand will be in a cast for eight weeks.
In Wednesday’s game, Maton allowed two runs on two hits against the Philadelphia Phillies, including giving up a hit to his brother, Nick.
“It was kind of a shortsighted move, and ultimately it was selfish and it’s one of those things that I hope doesn’t affect our team moving forward,” Phil Maton said.
Phil Maton, 29, went 0-2 with a 3.84 ERA in 67 relief appearances for the Astros in the regular season. He had a strikeout ratio of 10.0 per nine innings.
Coincidentally, Nick Maton was left off the Phillies’ National League Division Series roster.
The Astros also left veteran left-hander Will Smith off their American League Division Series roster.
The Astros added rookie right-hander Hunter Brown to their ALDS roster, going with 12 pitchers. Going with an extra position player, the Astros also added rookie infielder David Hensley to the roster.
The Astros host the Seattle Mariners in Game 1 of the ALDS on Tuesday night.
–Field Level Media