PHILADELPHIA — During the third inning of a lazy Mets-Phillies game Wednesday, an 89-mile-per-hour fastball drifted high and tight toward Yoenis Cespedes and struck him on his left hand, pinching his middle finger between the ball and the bat.
Cespedes let go of the bat immediately and fell to his knees, holding his hand gingerly. Manager Terry Collins and the Mets’ trainer raced out of the dugout, and after about a minute, Cespedes bit his upper lip and headed toward the dugout, his head bowed.
Mets fans gasped. The team’s first playoff game was nine days away.