Markakis hit by Sabathia fastball and breaks thumb
Nick Markakis will miss the rest of 2012 regular season with a broken left thumb the result of being hit by a pitch by Yankees ace CC Sabathia. Markakis’ only hope to return to the Orioles in 2012 would be if the team goes deep into the playoffs.
“Yeah, hopefully,” he said. “We’ll see how it goes. It’s just a matter of healing. I’ll be in a brace for a while and hopefully it will heal up quicker than I think it will.”“I knew it was broken. I knew it as soon as he hit it,” Markakis said, who vigorously shook his hand after the impact. “I knew how it hit me and I couldn’t bend my thumb.”
Markakis has been one of the Orioles most durable players in recent years averaging 157 or more games in each season from 2007 to 2011. This season has been the opposite. Earlier this summer Markakis spent six weeks on the disabled list after surgery to his right wrist to remove a broken hamate bone.
Since returning to the Orioles lineup after the All-Star break Markakis is batting .335 with five homers and 28 RBIs in 54 second-half games. Lew Ford and Nate McLouth are the likely candidates to replace Markakis.
