NEW YORK • Cardinals first baseman Matt Carpenter bruised and bloodied the ring finger on his throwing hand during the first inning Sunday night.
Yankees outfielder Aaron Hicks chopped a grounder that took a hard, quick hop at Carpenter as he neared it. The grounder deflected off his bare hand and into his glove, where he held it and dutifully touched first base for the out.
The blood came quickly.
The ball glanced off or jammed Carpenter's ring finger on his right hand, and the finger appeared bruised and nail damaged. Carpenter was met at the mound by the Cardinals' training staff, and some triage was done on the finger to give it cover, stop the bleeding, and allow him to grip the ball to throw.