Arizona Diamondbacks center fielder Blaze Alexander made a diving grab to steal a hit away from the Texas Rangers to end the sixth inning at Chase Field on Sept. 1, but it came with some potentially damaging consequences.
Left fielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. was also tracking the fly ball when he got caught up with Alexander and appeared to hyperextend his knee. He lay motionless on the grass for several minutes until he was helped to his feet by the training staff and walked a few steps to a cart that whisked him off the field and back into the locker room.
Manager Torey Lovullo said after the game there is no diagnosis to the extent of the injury, adding Gurriel will undergo an imaging scan on Sept. 2.
“Say some prayers for him tonight,” Lovullo said. “It’s a situation where we’re hoping for the best, but before I’m going to speculate, I’ll just say we’ll park it in neutral for 24 hours ’til I see you guys tomorrow.
“Hopefully, we get the best news possible, but it doesn’t look great.”
Alexander, starting in center for the first time in his major league career, said he didn’t realize Gurriel was hurt because he said they didn’t collide or even brush against each other.
“I made the play, but I had no idea what happened behind me,” Alexander said. “I was kind of looking at the crowd and starter running in and I saw (shortstop Gerardo) Perdomo running toward me and I was like, ‘What’s going on?’ I looked back and Gurriel was down.
“I don’t know how he’s feeling. I just sent him a text as soon as I got back to my locker just kind of praying for him and stuff. … It’s just unfortunate. He’s one of the leaders on our team, a guy we need, so I’m hoping it’s really nothing.”
He was replaced by pinch hitter by Jorge Barrosa during the bottom of the sixth.
Alexander, making his major league debut in center, raced to his left to get a bead on a fly ball hit by the Rangers’ Rowdy Tellez and stretched out to make the grab. Gurriel, though, seemed to trip over Alexander’s leg and hit the ground awkwardly.