Houston Astros second baseman Mauricio Dubón was admittedly concerned about death threats after a violent collision with San Diego Padres star Luis Arraez on Sunday.
‘It was scary,’ Dubón said after violent incident in Sunday’s loss to the visiting Padres. ‘I mean, just watching him not move. It was scary. Especially people know the type of player I am. I´m not a dirty player or anything. So it sucks. Worst part about it is you get death threats from stuff like this and everything. So it´s going to be a fun ride home.’
When asked if he has received any death threats, a club spokesman told DailyMail.com: ‘That’s not something the Astros will comment on.’
Arraez collided with Dubón after dropping down a bunt along the first-base line at Minute Made Park on Sunday. With Houston first baseman Christian Walker moving up the line to field the dribbler, Dubón was left to cover the bag, where he and Arraez crashed into each other.
Dubón, a former Gold Glove winner, appeared to step on the wrong part of the base on the play, which may have led to the collision. Instead of putting his spike on the inside part of the bag, the 30-year-old native of Honduras stepped on the center of the base at the exact moment Arraez arrived.
He held onto the ball to record the out but quickly realized that Arraez wasn’t moving in the aftermath of the collision. Both Dubón and Padres first base coach David Macias rushed in to check on Arraez, who was slumped over to his side. Trainers quickly came onto the field to tend to Arraez while nervous manager Mike Shildt and right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. watched helplessly.
Houston Astros first baseman Christian Walker (8) and second baseman Mauricio Dubon (14) watch as medics tend to Arraez. Dubon (right) said he received death threats Sunday
Luis Arraez is left unconscious at Minute Made Park after colliding with Mauricio Dubón
It took roughly 10 minutes for play to resume as medical staff removed Arraez on cart to rush him to a nearby hospital. Since then, Arraez has issued an update saying he is fine and expects to rejoin the Padres on Monday.
Fans were largely split over Dubón’s culpability on the play. While many felt the collision was unavoidable, others focused on Dubón’s footwork, which directly led to the incident.
‘Mauricio Dubón deserves a suspension for that extremely reckless play that cased Luis Arraez to be carried out in a stretcher. There is no way Dubón should have been on the other side of first base after catch the ball. A play like that can end somebody’s career.
‘Has Mauricio Dubón ever covered a base in his f***ing life,’ another asked.
Meanwhile, Dubón insists he did nothing wrong.
‘It was scary,’ Dubón said. ‘I mean, just watching him not move. It was scary. Especially people know the type of player I am. I´m not a dirty player or anything. So it sucks.’
The good news is that Arraez was not seriously hurt.
Many online were convinced that Dubón was at fault for placing his foot on top of the bag
Some called for Dubón to be suspended for what they felt was an ‘extremely reckless play’
Luis Arraez, the 28-year-old San Diego Padres star and native of San Felipe, Venezuela, calmed fans’ fears on Instagram by announcing he will be back with the club on Monday
Arraez is seen being carted off the field after colliding with Houston’s Mauricio Dubón
‘Dear fans and everyone who was concerned about me,’ the 28-year-old Venezuelan star began his Instagram post, which was written in both English and Spanish.
‘As you saw, I had to leave tonight’s game on a stretcher after a collision during a play. I was taken to Houston Methodist Hospital, where I underwent the necessary medical tests. Thankfully, there is nothing to worry about. I’m currently resting and plan to rejoin the team this Monday.
‘I truly appreciate all your prayers and kind messages,’ Arraez said. ‘I want to thank the medical and paramedic staff of both the Padres and the Astros, as well as those who took care of me at the hospital. Most importantly, I thank God for His protection—I’m doing well now.’
Despite Arraez’s optimistic message, Shildt issued a few words of caution when speaking to reporters on Sunday night.
‘Obviously, very scary,’ Shildt said. ‘We think he’s for the most part out of the woods. More time will tell, but the initial testing is very favorable. No fractures of any sort. I mean, he got a little bit of a laceration on his jawline, so we are worried about his jaw. We are worried about his cervical region. Everything was clear, stable on the initial testing.
‘We’ve been burned before on testing, so we will be cautiously optimistic,’ he continued. ‘He did have a period where he wasn’t aware of where he was, so that’s clearly concerning. Everything is coming back to him now, and his initial testing from a concussion standpoint was favorable, but clearly, we are not out of the woods. All things considered, that´s a blessing.’
