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With their opening game of the 2011 season a day away, the Florida Marlins have already gotten their first bizarre injury out of the way.
Relief pitcher Edward Mujica may have injured his pitching elbow earlier this week when he slipped and fell on his right arm Sunday.
According to the Miami Herald, Mujica slipped on the hard tile floor in the trainers' room at the Washington Nationals' Spring Training complex in Viera.
Mujica, whose metal spikes gave him no traction on the tile, landed hard on his right elbow. His head also slammed on the floor.
Typically, players go to the trainers' room to treat existing injuries, not create new ones.
"It was very, very scary for me," Mujica told the Herald. He said he was "a little bit sore" after the fall, but he felt fine on Monday.
The injury was not disclosed right away, but his poor performance in yesterday's final Spring Training game (he gave up 2 home runs in a four-run inning against the Mets) sparked renewed concern about the injury. Mujica told the Herald the bad outing was not the result of his fall.
If he struggles to start the season, the Marlins will look foolish for keeping him on the roster even after the spill.
The Marlins have seen a number of strange injuries in their short history. Inaugural second baseman Bret Barberie once missed time because he accidentally rubbed juice from a habanero pepper in his eye.
More recently, the Marlins lost Chris Coghlan for half of 2010 after he tore his ACL in a post-game shaving cream pie celebration. And outfielder Dewayne Wise lost a spot in the Marlins outfield when his left big toe became inflamed after he injured it in a game earlier in Spring Training. He was reassigned to the minors, but opted out of his contract rather than start the season at Triple-A New Orleans.
Mujica, meanwhile, still has a spot on the Marlins' Opening Day roster, but his slip and fall on Sunday could be a bad omen for his performance in 2011.
Relief pitcher Edward Mujica may have injured his pitching elbow earlier this week when he slipped and fell on his right arm Sunday.
According to the Miami Herald, Mujica slipped on the hard tile floor in the trainers' room at the Washington Nationals' Spring Training complex in Viera.
Mujica, whose metal spikes gave him no traction on the tile, landed hard on his right elbow. His head also slammed on the floor.
Typically, players go to the trainers' room to treat existing injuries, not create new ones.
"It was very, very scary for me," Mujica told the Herald. He said he was "a little bit sore" after the fall, but he felt fine on Monday.
The injury was not disclosed right away, but his poor performance in yesterday's final Spring Training game (he gave up 2 home runs in a four-run inning against the Mets) sparked renewed concern about the injury. Mujica told the Herald the bad outing was not the result of his fall.
If he struggles to start the season, the Marlins will look foolish for keeping him on the roster even after the spill.
The Marlins have seen a number of strange injuries in their short history. Inaugural second baseman Bret Barberie once missed time because he accidentally rubbed juice from a habanero pepper in his eye.
More recently, the Marlins lost Chris Coghlan for half of 2010 after he tore his ACL in a post-game shaving cream pie celebration. And outfielder Dewayne Wise lost a spot in the Marlins outfield when his left big toe became inflamed after he injured it in a game earlier in Spring Training. He was reassigned to the minors, but opted out of his contract rather than start the season at Triple-A New Orleans.
Mujica, meanwhile, still has a spot on the Marlins' Opening Day roster, but his slip and fall on Sunday could be a bad omen for his performance in 2011.
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