Rockies' Daniel Bard 'Feels Awful' About Injuring José Altuve's Thumb in 2023 Wbc

Daniel Bard's difficult outing against Venezuela in the quarterfinals of the World Baseball Classic on Saturday only felt worse after the Rockies pitcher hit José Altuve with a pitch that fractured his thumb.

While his team got the win, Bard said he felt awful about the incident and is hoping the former MVP is able to get back to action soon.

"I feel terrible,'' Bard told Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY. "I was going sinker-in for a swing. I missed up and in. You just hate to see it. You saw my reaction.''

"He's a great player. You want to see great players on the field, even if I have to play against him. I want to play against the best. I wish him, hopefully, a quick recovery. I know it will be a minute.''

Astros general manager Dana Brown announced Sunday that Altuve's injury requires surgery, and there is no timeline for his return. The procedure will take place sometime over the next few days.

It'll obviously be a huge loss for the reigning World Series champions, as Altuve hit .322 with a .921 OPS last season.

Meanwhile, Bard will try to bounce back from a rough night, as he struggled with control issues beyond Altuve's at-bat. The 37-year-old faced four batters, throwing 17 pitches while allowing a hit, walking two batters and throwing two wild pitches.

He surrendered four runs and watched a 5-2 American lead turn into a 6-5 deficit in the fifth inning. Luckily for him, some clutch hitting from Trea Turner sent USA through to the semifinals.