Baseball players are frustrated at work, just like all of us. Seattle Mariners outfielder Jarred Kelenic was frustrated on the job Wednesday after being knocked out against the Minnesota Twins.
Unfortunately, Kelenic’s frustration led him to kick a water fountain. And that kick broke a bone in his foot, putting him on the injured list.
The at-bat that so twisted Kelenic came in the bottom of the ninth inning. The Twins led 6-3, but with two runners already on base, the Mariners had a chance to slip a little closer — or maybe even tie the game. Kelenic faced reliever Jhoan Durán, who currently sports a 2.11 ERA. Kelenic, who is having the best season of his career, hitting .252/.320/.439, worked nine shots at bat against Durán.
It’s the kind of long fight in which you expect something big to happen at the end. But Kelenic struck. And when he got back to the dugout, he kicked a water fountain with his left foot. X-rays showed a broken bone, forcing him to don a walking boot and retire from training for the foreseeable future.
The Mariners lost 6-3 to the Twins and lost Kelenic in the process. He spoke to the media from the dugout ahead of Thursday’s game and was overwhelmed with emotion. He said he let his emotions get to him after the strikeout and let his teammates down.
Seattle placed Kelenic on the disabled list Thursday afternoon and did not provide a timeline for his return. To fill the vacancy on the roster, the Mariners called up Triple-A outfielder Cade Marlowe, who will make his major league debut Thursday in the series finale against the Twins.