Charlie Morton’s season finished in the third inning of the 2021 World Series.

X-rays uncovered that Morton, the Atlanta Braves’ veteran beginning pitcher, experienced a fractured right fibula early in Game 1 on Tuesday night, apparently subsequent to getting hit by a 102.4 mph comebacker off the bat of Houston Astros first baseman Yuli Gurriel to start the bottom of the second.

Morton, 37, retired the next two players, then, at that point, returned to strike out Jose Altuve to start the bottom of the third prior to leaving. Morton recognizably frowned while delivering the last pitch to Altuve – a sweeping curveball dotted at the bottom of the strike zone – and immediately tottered out of the game in the wake of getting checked on by an athletic trainer – doing as such 16 pitches after he was at first hit.

Morton’s injury prompted Braves manager Brian Snitker to turn to late-game reliever A.J. Minter significantly sooner than he would have expected and is a serious blow for his team, which entered the World Series with a three-man rotation that additionally included Max Fried and Ian Anderson. The Braves were at that point planning a bullpen game in Game 4 and will require another in Game 5 except if Fried, Wednesday’s Game 2 starter, returns on short rest.

Minter did his part Tuesday, throwing 2.2 innings of one-run, three-hit ball that permitted Atlanta to get into the later innings and keep up with its lead. The Braves end up winning, 6-2, to take a 1-0 series lead.

Morton, signed through at least the 2022 season, went 14-6 with a 3.34 ERA in 185⅔ innings during the 2021 regular season. He was showing up in his third World Series – for his third different team – in a five-year span. The Braves said he will be prepared for spring training.

Atlanta will actually want to supplant him on the roster before Wednesday’s Game 2.