Edwin Diaz's Injury Changes the Mets' Season

One of the WBC's most controversial moments came when Edwin Diaz — the best closer in baseball and the heart of Puerto Rico's pitching staff — tore his patellar tendon during the team's pool play celebration. The injury did not happen on a pitch. It happened during the jubilant post-win celebration, when Diaz's knee buckled as teammates jumped around him.

The image of Diaz being carried off the field in tears became one of the most heartbreaking moments in WBC history. For the Mets, it was catastrophic — they lost their closer for the entire 2023 season, and many analysts pointed to Diaz's absence as a primary reason their season collapsed. The injury reignited the debate about whether MLB players should participate in the WBC at all.

But Diaz himself never blamed the WBC. He said representing Puerto Rico was one of the greatest honors of his career and that he would do it again. His teammates rallied around him, using his injury as motivation for the rest of the tournament. The moment forced baseball to reckon with the emotional cost of international competition.