San Diego Padres pitcher Blake Snell won against the Washington Nationals on Friday. He apparently did so despite an interesting night before.
According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, the former Cy Young winner’s car was struck by a suspected drunk driver Thursday night when San Diego police stopped for a suspected traffic violation on Interstate 5.
The DUI suspect reportedly drove his Toyota sedan off the freeway onto the driver’s side of Snell’s car around 11 p.m., an hour after the Padres lost the series opener to the Nationals. The reason for Snell’s traffic delay remains unknown.
The crash was reportedly minor, Snell was evaluated by the Padres’ medical team and cleared for launch on Friday. A passenger in Snell’s Mercedes reportedly complained of pain but was examined and discharged from the scene without a hospital visit.
From the Union Tribune:
“He’s fine physically,” Padres manager Bob Melvin said ahead of Friday’s game. “But that can shake you up a bit. But our guys checked him today. And we spoke to him. And he’s ready to pitch. So I think we probably got lucky.”
Any injury to Snell, who has said in the past he has never had a drop of alcohol in his life, would have ranked high for the Padres, especially as he is currently in the Padres’ prime tenure.
The southpaw has so far posted a disappointing 3.99 ERA since the team’s blockbuster trade brought him to San Diego, but he has allowed just three earned runs in 28.2 innings (a .94 ERA) while on five Starts 39 beats. Whether or not he can keep up will be a major factor in the Padres’ wildcard race, where they currently sit in third place by a 1.5 game lead over the Milwaukee Brewers.
Blake Snell has been hot for the Padres lately. (Photo by G. Fiume/Getty Images)