Helsley exits final outing before postseason with jammed right finger

PITTSBURGH -- Scheduled to pitch one inning and then rest until the start of the postseason on Friday, Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley jammed the middle finger on his right hand following his fifth pitch in the eighth inning of St. Louis' 8-7 victory over Pittsburgh on Tuesday.

Helsley, an All-Star for the first time in his career this season, shattered the bat of Pirates center fielder Ji Hwan Bae with a 99.7 mph fastball and caught the soft liner hit back at him. However, when Helsley used his throwing hand to balance himself after he staggered, he jammed the middle finger. Head athletic trainer Adam Olsen and manager Oliver Marmol came out to inspect Helsley and allowed him to throw one warmup pitch, which he bounced. He was then removed from the game under what St. Louis termed to be a “precautionary measure.”

“I’ll just get some rest and let it resolve itself,” Helsley said. “I don’t think [it will be a concern]. I felt it a little bit tonight when I was trying to throw my offspeed stuff, and I just felt like I didn’t have the feel I needed to continue the inning, and I felt it was smart to come out of the game.

“I couldn’t really squeeze the ball like I wanted to, so I felt like there was no need to stay in there to get two more outs.”

Helsley, who took over for Giovanny Gallegos as closer early in the season, is 9-1 with a 1.25 ERA and a 94-to-20 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He has converted 19 of 23 save opportunities, has a .128 batting average against and has posted a dazzling 0.74 WHIP over 64 2/3 innings pitched.

Following a season in which keeping him fresh and healthy was a top priority, Helsley knows that he narrowly avoided a major injury on the play.

“I tried to stop myself [from falling] and I just drove [the middle finger] straight into the ground,” he said. “It just felt really stiff, honestly. There never really was a sharp pain or anything like that. It just felt super stiff. … It just kind of happened. Obviously, you don’t want to have injuries ever, and this could have been worse, I think.”

Two weeks ago, Helsley twice set the record for the fastest pitch thrown this season by firing pitches of 104 and 104.2 mph. He also recently became just the third pitcher in Cardinals history to throw an immaculate inning -- nine pitches, nine strikes and three strikeouts.

The Cardinals open the Wild Card Series on Friday at Busch Stadium. They will host either the Phillies or the Padres.

Helsley said Wednesday should provide more information about the severity of the soreness in his finger.

“It’s just a little stiff, and I think tomorrow will be a big tell about how it feels after a good night’s rest,” he said.