SEATTLE — Seattle reliever Trent Thornton was injured while coming off the mound on a ground ball in the ninth inning Thursday night and was carted off the field during the Mariners’ 6-0 win over the Texas Rangers.
Thornton was using crutches to get around the Mariners’ locker room after the game and the team did not have an official diagnosis of the lower left leg injury he sustained on the grounder hit by Adolis Garcia with two outs.
Thornton said he feared it was a significant Achilles injury and that he would have an MRI on Friday.
“It’s probably the Achilles, but that’s just speculation, so I’ll find out tomorrow,” Thornton said. “Very frustrating.”
Thornton entered the game to start the eighth inning and retired the first five batters he faced. The right-hander then had a full count on Garcia before the righty hitter hit a grounder on his 95 m.p.h. fastball on the lower outside corner.
“I threw the pitch, and as soon as I turned, I thought I broke the guy’s bat and it hit me in the back of the leg, and I fell,” Thornton said.
Thornton said his first reaction at that point was to try to look at his leg to see what had happened.
“I tried to get up and just couldn’t even put pressure on it at all,” Thornton said. “It didn’t hurt. It’s just achy and numb. But I guess I don’t know. I’m still trying to process this a little bit, and I’ll find out more tomorrow.”
Mariners manager Dan Wilson said he thought Thornton pitched “fabulous” before the injury.
“We’ll find out more tonight,” Wilson said. “Hoping for the best.”
