Rafael Betancourt has a torn UCL

By Craig CalcaterraAug 27, 2013, 8:53 AM EDT
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It’s not just promising young starting pitchers who need Tommy John surgery. Veteran relievers sometimes do too. The news on Rockies’ reliever Rafael Betancourt:

 

Bad break for Betancourt, who was already on the 15-day disabled list due to the elbow.

This could be the end of the line for Betancourt. He’s almost 39 and he won’t be under contract after this season. If it is the end, he leaves an 11-year career in which he was one of the most reliable and, for some reason, one of the more unheralded setup men (and occasional closers) in the game.

Video: Pete Alonso hits home run no. 50

Pete Alonso
Getty Images
By Ashley VarelaSep 20, 2019, 10:23 PM EDT
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Rookie first baseman Pete Alonso has launched what appears to be the beginning of an auspicious career, made all the more notable by the 50 home runs he’s produced for the Mets so far this season. The All-Star slugger pushed his home run streak to four straight games on Friday, collecting no. 50 on an eighth-inning fastball from the Reds’ Sal Romano.

It’s just the latest of a long line of accomplishments for the 24-year-old infielder. Entering Friday’s series opener against Cincinnati, the first-time All-Star carried a .266/.366/.590 batting line with a league-leading 49 homers, 113 RBI, a .956 OPS and 4.9 fWAR through 648 plate appearances. Among those who are still rounding out their rookie seasons in 2019, he ranks first in home runs and fWAR by a long shot: the White Sox’ Eloy Jiménez is second in home runs with 28 dingers, while the Astros’ Yordan Álvarez plays second fiddle in fWAR with 3.7 Wins Above Replacement.

Even more remarkable: Alonso is the second rookie in MLB history to deliver at least 50 home runs in a single season. The first? Aaron Judge, who clubbed a jaw-dropping 52 homers for the Yankees in 2017.