New York Mets fans’ worst nightmares became a reality on Wednesday night when All-Star closer Edwin Diaz went down with an injury while celebrating Puerto Rico’s win over the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic. The jubilation quickly turned into worry as teammates watched Diaz clutch at his left knee and crumble to the grass. The reaction certainly indicated that we won’t be seeing Diaz close out games for the Mets any time soon, but the team’s 2023 World Series odds were still unaffected.
Does Edwin Diaz Injury Hurt Mets World Series Odds?
Per were 8-1 to win the 2023 World Series after making their offseason moves. Despite the injury of their shutdown closer, the Mets still sit at 8-1 odds. However, that could change whenever the results of the MRI come out on Thursday.
Diaz staked his claim as the game’s best reliever during a dominant 2022 campaign. Appearing in 61 games, Diaz notched 32 saves and a microscopic 1.31 ERA. Diaz likened the Puerto Rico-Dominican Republic game to a Game 7 and was able to strike out the side in the ninth inning of the 5-2 upset. He was quickly swarmed by teammates shortly thereafter before the injury ensued.
“I didn’t see it right away,” manager Yadier Molina said, per ESPN. “I was hugging our coaches in the dugout, and when we looked up, Edwin was on the ground. I didn’t know. I didn’t know how to act, I didn’t know what to say. It caught me by surprise. It sucks. When you see a guy that works so hard like Edwin — when you see him on the ground like that, it’s just sad.”
Diaz entered the offseason as the top relief pitcher on the free agency market, but Mets owner Steve Cohen was quick to lock up his closer on a $102 million, five-year contract. The deal set a record for the most guaranteed money ever given to a relief pitcher.
Puerto Rico had a lot to celebrate on Wednesday night. They were the heavy betting underdog against the Dominican Republic and will now have a chance to compete for a WBC title in the quarterfinals. But immediately after Diaz went down in the middle of LoanDepot Park, the mood changed, and all of the sudden the triumph didn’t seem to matter at all.
“Quiet,” outfielder Kike Hernández said of the vibe in the clubhouse. “It comes to a certain point that it gets bigger than a game. Something very unfortunate happened. As excited as we were about the game and all that, that’s one of our brothers. Some of us grew up together and all that. It’s real easy to set aside the game and worry as humans. It definitely doesn’t feel in there like we just beat the Dominican Republic to advance.”
Luckily for Mets fans, the World Series odds show that oddsmakers do not think they’ll be hindered too badly by the Edwin Diaz injury. But they will still miss Diaz’s services for however long he needs to be shelved.
