Mariners OF Jarred Kelenic broke left foot by kicking water cooler after strikeout
Baseball players get frustrated at work, just like the rest of us. Jarred Kelenic, outfielder for the Seattle Mariners, got frustrated at work Wednesday after he struck out against the Minnesota Twins.
Unfortunately, Kelenic's frustration led to him kicking a water cooler. And that kick broke a bone in his foot, landing him on the injured list.
The at-bat that got Kelenic so twisted came in the bottom of the ninth inning. The Twins were leading 6-3, but with two runners already on base, the Mariners had a chance to slide 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 a nine-pitch at-bat against Durán.
That's the kind of lengthy at-bat in which you expect something major to happen at the end. But Kelenic struck out. And when he got back to the dugout, he kicked a water cooler with his left foot. X-rays showed a broken bone, forcing him into a walking boot and out of the lineup 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 prior to Thursday's game and was overcome with emotion. He said he let his emotions get to him after the strikeout and let his teammates down.
Jarred Kelenic was so upset with the injury. That he couldn’t speak for a few minutes. He said he let his teammates down. pic.twitter.com/aSnY792R2K
— Ryan Divish (@RyanDivish) July 20, 2023
Part of Kelenic’s opening comments pic.twitter.com/ycR8dM4qbF
— Ryan Divish (@RyanDivish) July 20, 2023
Seattle placed Kelenic on the injured list Thursday afternoon and didn't give a timeline for his return. To fill the open spot on the roster, the Mariners called up outfielder Cade Marlowe from Triple-A, who will make his major-league debut Thursday in the series finale against the Twins.
