HOUSTON (AP) — Astros first baseman Yuli Gurriel will miss the remainder of the World Series after spraining his right knee in Game 5, an injury that led to the surprise activation of rookie catcher Korey Lee.
“He wasn’t crying, but he had tears in his eyes,” Astros manager Dusty Baker said of Gurriel. “You could see how much he wanted to play. We just couldn’t do it and had to replace him.”
Gurriel collided with Philadelphia first baseman Rhys Hoskins during a rundown between third base and home plate on Chas McCormick’s seven-inning grounder during Thursday-evening’s 3-2 win, which resulted in a knee on his head. Trey Mancini batted for Gurriel in the eighth.
“He’s tried everything,” Baker said. “He came in yesterday, was treated. Came early this morning, got treatment. Didn’t respond well enough to play. He tried to flee. And from a guy with knee injuries, the hardest thing is to stop and then round the bases or do sideways. ”
General manager James Click said Gurriel had been diagnosed with a sprained medial collateral ligament.
Mancini, 0 for 18 in the postseason and 0 for 6 in the World Series, started at first base and hit seventh in Game 6 on Saturday-evening. Christian Vázquez was the designated batter, batting sixth.
Houston has a 3-2 lead in the World Series. Click said the Astros were considering keeping Gurriel on the roster in case he felt better on Sunday, when a Game 7 was played.
“But from the way he moved and from the conversation with him, it was clear he wouldn’t be available today or tomorrow,” Clicks said. “We did consider waiting 24 hours to see if he would be available tomorrow when we played tomorrow. But based on the diagnosis, that was not possible.”
The 38-year old Gurriel hit .347 with two homeruns and four RBI’s in the postseason, including .316 during the World Series.
“Yuli is one of our best hitters in the postseason, so of course it stinks not having him,” McCormick said.
Lee was called to Baker’s office when the 24-year-old arrived at Minute Maid Park about four hours before playtime. Lee’s parents, Lisa and Darrin, brother Kellen and girlfriend had flown in for the match.
“I haven’t told them yet,” Lee said. “Hopefully they’ll be surprised when they get here.”
Lee was a first-round draft pick in 2019 and made his major league debut on July 1. He hit .160 (4 for 25) with four RBI’s in 12 games with the Astros from July 1-31 after Jason Castro injured his left knee. Lee hit .238 with 25 home runs and 76 RBI’s in 104 games in Triple-A Sugar Land, homerun three times in Las Vegas on August 23.
“It’s unbelievable,” Lee said. “It’s a dream come true.”
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AP Sports Writer Kristie Rieken contributed to this report.
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