Mets Get a Scare When Cespedes Gets Hit on Hand

The baseball playoffs are just a week away. The New York Mets haven't been in the postseason since 2006, perhaps that's why the organization was holding it collective breath last night.

Yoenis Cespedes took a pitch to his left hand against the Philadelphia Phillies last night. It was an 89 mph fastball that had the fan base squirming.

The team later announced that those exams had been negative, and Cespedes had suffered a bruise to his middle and ring fingers.

Cespedes was acquired from the Detroit Tigers at the trade deadline and has completely revamped what had been a silent Mets offense. In 53 games for New York, Cespedes has hit 17 home runs and driven in 44 runs.

Through a team spokesman, the oufielder said that he initially felt a lot of pain, but that he "didn't think it was that bad right away." Still, he admitted that he was "relieved" when told that the X-rays were negative.

Mets manager Terry Collins noted that it's always scary to get his in the hand, with so many breakable bones. He said he expected to give Cespedes a game off on Thursday -- even though the outfielder had offered to play -- and prepare him for the team's final three games of the season against the Washington Nationals.