Reds’ Emilio Pagán Injured in Ninth Inning Loss to Cubs

Cincinnati Reds closer Emilio Pagán faced a troubling setback during the ninth inning of a tightly contested game against the Chicago Cubs, as he suffered a left hamstring injury that forced him to be carted off the field. The Reds ultimately fell to the Cubs 3-2 in 10 innings, but the focus shifted to Pagán’s condition, which will be assessed further after scans.

Manager Terry Francona expressed concern for Pagán, emphasizing the importance of the right-hander to the team’s success. “He is such an integral part of what we do,” Francona said. “He’s struggling right now, and we’ve got to be there for him.” Pagán’s presence in the bullpen has been pivotal, with six saves to his name this season. However, his performance has been marred by a 6.43 ERA and three blown saves over 14 innings.

The incident unfolded dramatically as Pagán entered the game with the score tied at two. On his very first pitch to Nico Hoerner, he suddenly felt a sharp pain, leading him to hop off the mound and collapse to the ground. As he clutched his left hamstring, medical staff rushed to his aid. When they helped him rise, Pagán was unable to put weight on his leg and had to be assisted into a cart.

Reliever Jose Franco stepped in to replace Pagán, issuing a walk to Hoerner but managed to navigate the inning without further damage, sending the game into extra innings. Pagán’s injury is particularly concerning given that he had previously tweaked the same hamstring during a recent game against the San Francisco Giants. After that outing, he had downplayed the severity of the issue, assuring Francona that he felt fine during warm-ups. “He said he hadn’t felt it. He said he warmed up fine. He goes ‘I would never do that.’ I believe him,” Francona recounted.

Note: This recap is an independently written summary based on publicly available reporting.