Reds Closer Emilio Pagán Injured During Game Against Cubs

Cincinnati Reds closer Emilio Pagán found himself in trouble on Tuesday after throwing just a single pitch. It was the bottom of the ninth in a game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, with the Reds trailing 3-2. Pagán delivered an 87 mph cutter to second baseman Nico Hoerner but immediately appeared to be in distress, leaping off the mound while clutching the back of his left leg.

After a few awkward hops, he collapsed to the ground, grabbing at his left hamstring. Trainers managed to help him up, but he couldn’t bear weight on his legs and ultimately had to be carted off the field.

“He’s a crucial part of our team,” Reds manager Terry Francona commented. “He’s hurting right now, and we all need to be there for him.”

Following Pagán’s exit, relief pitcher Jose Franco came in and, while he walked Horner, managed to get through the inning without any further issues. The game then went into extra innings tied at 2-2 but ended in a loss for the Reds in the tenth.

This isn’t Pagán’s first encounter with hamstring problems; he faced a similar issue during the last pitch of a previous game against the San Francisco Giants last month. Thankfully, he had indicated the next day that it wasn’t as serious as he’d initially feared.

Francona mentioned that since then, Pagán hadn’t experienced further hamstring issues. “I just checked in on him,” Francona said. “He said he felt fine. The warmup went smoothly. He’s very clear: ‘I would never do that.’ I trust him on that.”

Last season, Pagán was instrumental for the Reds, achieving 32 saves with a 2.88 ERA over 70 games. However, this season, at age 34, he has been facing more challenges. To date, he has appeared in 15 games, recording a 6.43 ERA along with six saves.

As for the Reds, they are looking for a win in their upcoming game against the Cubs on Wednesday at 7:40 p.m. ET, aiming to break a streak of three consecutive losses.