NEW YORK — Phillies third baseman Edmundo Sosa had to leave Saturday’s 9-4 win over the Yankees with a back contusion after colliding with left fielder Brandon Marsh while catching a popup.
It looked scary, but after further evaluation, the Phillies got good news: Sosa is OK, and the team thinks he could play in Sunday’s series finale against New York. In Sosa’s mind, there’s not even a question.
“I’m playing tomorrow,” Sosa said after the game.
Phillies manager Rob Thomson was a little more cautious, but still optimistic.
“I went in to check on him after the game, and he was a lot better than I expected,” Thomson said. “So he may be able to be in the lineup tomorrow.”
Sosa was backpedaling in short left field to catch Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s popup in the bottom of the seventh inning when Marsh, who was coming in for the ball, ran into him from behind.
Sosa fell to the ground in pain and appeared to grab at his back. He remained down on the field for several minutes while he was examined by the Phillies training staff. Sosa was eventually helped off the field.
“I felt really bad at first, came and ran in here and checked on Sosa and found out he was good,” Marsh said. “That made me feel a lot better.”
Sosa, Marsh and shortstop Trea Turner all had a play on the ball, but all three fielders had trouble finding it in the sun. So as they converged, none took charge, and the miscommunication resulted in Sosa and Marsh colliding.
“It was kind of a sun ball-slash-tweener, triangle ball, where three guys are going after it,” Thomson said. “I’m not sure if anybody really knew that they could catch it for sure, so nobody called it, and it was just a bad collision.”
Marsh saw the uncertainty between Turner and Sosa and decided to make a last-second play for the ball, thinking it was going to fall between them. Sosa had called for the ball, but Marsh didn’t hear him.
“When I looked down at Sosa and Trea, I just noticed that the ball was in the middle of them. And so I thought I had to go make the play,” Marsh said. “But Sosa said he was saying he had it. I just didn’t hear him. And so it’s my fault. I should’ve definitely backed off a little bit. I’ve just got to have better ears.”
Marsh’s right forearm hit Sosa’s lower back hard as Marsh braced for impact with his teammate.
“I was bracing a little bit,” Sosa said through interpreter Diego D’Aniello. “I figured that was likely to happen. So if you see the replay, I kind of lean into it to absorb it a little bit and not get hit that hard. But it was a confusing play there, because Trea wasn’t seeing it, I wasn’t seeing it, so Marshy went in to cover, and it ended up being like that.”
Sosa — who also hit a two-run homer in the seventh inning — said he was a little concerned at first after the hit to his lower back because he wasn’t sure of the severity. But he quickly felt better after Phillies head athletic trainer Paul Buchheit started to work on his back.
The play was initially ruled “no catch” because when Sosa fell to the outfield grass after making the play, his glove fell off his hand and the ball came out. But the call was overturned to a catch after a Phillies challenge.
Sosa was replaced by Otto Kemp when his turn in the lineup came up in the top of the eighth.
Sosa got treatment after the game, and Thomson said he didn’t expect Sosa to need any more testing before he’s cleared to play. The Phillies will still check on him before the game Sunday to make sure he’s ready to go.
“I feel good,” Sosa said. “I’m just feeling a little tight right now. But it was just that bang. But I feel good now. I’m ready for tomorrow.”
