Astros reliever Ryan Pressly survived a scary moment during Game 6 of the ALCS, when he stumbled while fielding a groundout in the third inning and re-injured his right knee. Pressly underwent an initial evaluation after his departure from the game and was diagnosed with “right knee discomfort,” though his description of the injury sounded slightly more complicated:
Either way, it doesn’t sound like Pressly is facing a significant setback or lengthy recovery period. The reliever would likely have been held back had the Yankees forced a Game 7 on Sunday; given the club’s two off days leading up to Game 1 of the World Series, however, it looks like Pressly will be well-positioned to make an appearance sometime during the series after all.
I went to go grab the ground ball and when I pushed off to go grab it, I felt a pop in my knee,” he told reporters on Saturday. “I went and got it checked out and it’s just some scar tissue we think just broke off. It was more scary than anything.
The Astros will head into their third Fall Classic behind right-hander Gerrit Cole, who’s scheduled to go up against the Nationals’ Max Scherzer at Minute Maid Park on Tuesday night. Per Jake Kaplan of The Athletic, Cole asked to pitch twice during ALCS Game 6 and was twice denied by Hinch. He may give the bullpen a breather during Game 1, as he’s gone at least seven innings in each of his three previous starts this postseason.
