Rangers reliever Brock Burke breaks hand punching wall in frustration after rough outing
Burke was placed on the 15-day IL Saturday with a fractured hand
Texas Rangers reliever Brock Burke is heading to the injured list after breaking his non-throwing hand while punching a wall following a disappointing outing Friday.
Burke, a lefty, gave up four runs on three hits and registered two outs after 21 pitches during a 12-8 Rangers win over the Houston Astros.
The tough appearance didn't sit well with Burke, who is in his fourth season with the Rangers. He ended up punching a wall "out of frustration" and was placed on the 15-day IL with a fractured hand.
“We want our guys, our athletes to be competitive and hate to lose, but with that passion there’s a fine edge, and when you cross that line there’s going to be consequences,” said Rangers manager Bruce Bochy. “And we just saw what happened there. You love the fact that he was upset with not helping the club last night ... but it just wasn’t a smart move.”
Burke's appearance was eventful before he ended up hurting himself.
After Burke struck out José Altuve, he nearly hit Yordan Álvarez on three consecutive pitches before actually plunking him on the fourth. Álvarez would stare Burke down before heading to first base.
Burke's very next pitch went 409-feet to right field off the bat of Kyle Tucker for a two-run home run to cut the Texas lead to 12-5.
HR #2 on the night for Kyle Tucker ⚾️⚾️#Astros vs Rangers on SCHN@astros I #Relentless pic.twitter.com/YGsydqMXC9
— Space City Home Network (@SpaceCityHN) April 13, 2024
“We didn’t really appreciate it, whether it was an accident or not," said Tucker, whose bat flip did not go unnoticed. "Missing four times in, almost hitting twice and them hitting, probably not really a good look.”
Burke would strike out Yainer Díaz and give up a double to Jon Singleton and then a Jeremy Peña single before being pulled.
Bochy said afterward that he will have a conversation with his reliever about controlling his emotions so they do not affect the team going forward.
"Obviously he regrets it," Bochy said. "Sometimes you don't have time to think about what the consequences may be. You're just that upset and that frustrated. That's the passion to do well [and] hate to lose. It's not the first time I've seen it."
