NewsDamon leaves early with strained calf
Yanks left fielder sustains injury on basepaths in third
By Thomas Boorstein / MLB.com
11/04/09 9:22 PM EST
NEW YORK -- Johnny Damon scampered home on Hideki Matsui's two-run single in the third inning, but that would be the last of his baserunning in Game 6 of the World Series on Wednesday night.
The Yankees left fielder began to limp with a strained right calf muscle before he rounded third base. He finished 0-for-1 with a walk and a run scored in the game. Damon is 8-for-24 (.364) with two walks and two homers in the World Series.
In an interview on FOX recorded between the third and fourth innings, Yankees manager Joe Girardi said Damon initially felt pain in his calf on a foul ball Matsui hit down the right-field line on the previous pitch.
"The first ball that Matsui hit down the line, he felt his calf a little bit, and then when he scored, it got worse," Girardi said.
Jerry Hairston Jr., who started Game 2, replaced Damon in left field. With Melky Cabrera off the World Series roster with a hamstring injury, Eric Hinske is the only other outfielder available on the Yankees' bench.
Thomas Boorstein is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
