Braves' Sean Murphy Got Plunked on the Elbow and It Was Immediately Gnarly

A fastball will do that.
David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

The Atlanta Braves were able to overcome the Boston Red Sox and Kendrick Perkins on Tuesday night at Fenway Park, putting together an 8-3 victory as they try to keep pace in the National League East. It was all fun and games until the top of the ninth inning when Sean Murphy, just off the injured list, got clocked by a Chase Anderson fastball that was traveling 92 MPH and seemed to have a homing device trained on Murphy's right elbow.

The result was a hit-by-pitch, a free base, and a situation around the joint that looked immediately gnarly. That thing swelled up real good, creating quite a bump. Murphy had to leave the game because it's not every day that an elbow grows its own head.

Helpful viewers at home suggested putting some ice on the affected area while the Braves' medical staff attended to the catcher.

After the game, Murphy was in a surprisingly good mood, describing the situation as a "big, gross lump" that "looks worse than it is."

Murphy has been able to play in only seven games this year, collecting four hits in his 22 at-bats. Hopefully his medical analysis is correct and he'll be able to play through the pain and the swelling.


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Kyle Koster
KYLE KOSTER

Kyle Koster is an assistant managing editor at Sports Illustrated covering the intersection of sports and media. He was formerly the editor in chief of The Big Lead, where he worked from 2011 to '24. Koster also did turns at the Chicago Sun-Times, where he created the Sports Pros(e) blog, and at Woven Digital.