New York Yankees slugger Robinson Cano left the All-Star Game early after getting hit by a pitch from New York Mets star Matt Harvey. Although the two used to share the same agent, Scott Boras, Harvey insists his errant pitch was an honest mistake with no ulterior motive, USA Today Sports reports.
"We had called fastball in there. I knew I had to get it inside but obviously I didn't want to get it in that much," Harvey told reporters. "Once I let it go, I could kinda feel it. I cut it a little bit, so I was hoping he was going to be able to get out of the way. But unfortunately, he didn't. It definitely was not intentional."
As for Cano, the second baseman doesn't fault Harvey.
"He was just trying to throw a cutter in and got a little too far inside," Cano told reporters. "When I was coming off the field, he said 'my bad' and I said 'no problem.' I know he don't want to hit nobody. That's just part of the game.
"As hard as he throws, at least it wasn't 98 (mph). It was 92 and luckily it hit the quad," he added, in Spanish.
After the hit, Cano walked to first base. After the following batter, he called in a pinch hitter and left the game.
"I felt it getting a little tight and I didn't want to aggravate it, make it a worse situation," Cano said of his decision to exit the game. "I thought I better come out of the game and put ice on it. I know it's the All-Star Game and it's for the fans but I didn't want to take a chance. If it were a regular-season game, it would be different."
Fortunately for the Yankees, Cano's injury isn't expected to cost him any games. He iced the quad and plans on resting it until his next game.
"I'm walking fine. I'd say no pain, just tightness a little bit," Cano said. "Since it's close to the knee, if it had been something where I couldn't walk, then I would have been worried. Thankfully I was able to walk."
Cano used to be represented by Boras, who currently represents Harvey. Cano defected from Boras' agency earlier this season and signed with Jay-Z's Roc Nation. Recently, Jay-Z took a jab at Boras on one of his tracks.
