WASHINGTON (AP) — After Tim Locastro’s 29-steal streak to start his major league career ended, Arizona’s center fielder immediately knew something was wrong with his left pinkie finger.
“Saw it was not facing the right way,” Locastro said. “Looked down again and got worried and saw some blood.”
Locastro is expected to head to the injured list after dislocating that finger when he was thrown out at second base Saturday by Washington catcher Yan Gomes, who also homered and drove in two runs to help the Nationals beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 6-2 for their first back-to-back wins this season.
Gomes entered Saturday without an extra-base hit and just one RBI in 2021, but he went 3 for 4 at the plate.
With help from a terrific tag at second base by Starlin Castro in the third inning, Gomes spoiled Locastro’s perfect record on the basepaths, the most successful swipes to begin an MLB career in at least 70 years.
Asked about putting a stop to the run, Gomes said with a smile: “I kind of feel bad that I did.”
Locastro’s outlook?
“Hopefully go for 30 the next run I have here,” he said.
The 28-year-old Locastro, who’s in his fifth big league season, wasn’t sure whether he got hurt by jamming the finger into the bag or Castro’s knee on a headfirst dive, but he left in the middle of the third to get medical attention.
He needed four stitches. The finger got straightened out and placed in a splint.
“It’s not crooked anymore,” he said.
The Hall of Fame asked for Locastro’s spikes last weekend after he set the record, doing one better than the 28 straight by Tim Raines, who played for the Nationals’ predecessors — the Montreal Expos — on his way to being enshrined in Cooperstown.
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