Nationals' Hunter Strickland Suffers Broken Nose After Weight Room Accident

An accident disrupted Washington Nationals relief pitcher Hunter Strickland's pregame ritual Tuesday afternoon, and the result was a broken nose.

Nationals manager Dave Martinez disclosed to Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post that Strickland was hit by a bar in the weight room and "could have injured the right side of his face." The 30-year-old right-hander underwent X-rays at PNC Park. 

Dougherty noted that the right side of Strickland's face was "pretty red and he had a stripped Band-Aid on his nose." 

Soon after, Strickland was playing catch with bullpen catcher Nilson Robledo ahead of the Nationals' game against the Pittsburgh Pirates beginning at 7:05 p.m. EST.

Strickland then confirmed he had suffered a broken nose on Twitter: 

Washington traded with the Seattle Mariners for Strickland and left-hander Roenis Elias at this year's July 31 trade deadline. Strickland had only appeared in four games for the Mariners in 2019—his only season with the team after playing in San Francisco from 2014 to 2018 and contributing to the 2014 World Series-winning team.

Since joining the Nationals, he has recorded a 1-0 record and 1.29 ERA in seven innings pitched across eight games. 

Strickland avoiding major injury is especially positive news for Washington with closer Sean Doolittle on the 10-day injured list due to right knee tendinitis. Elias remains on the IL with a right hamstring strain, which places Strickland at the front of the line as a candidate to fill in at closer. He has 21 career saves, the bulk of which (14) coming last season.

Strickland's last outing was Saturday in Washington's 15-14 loss to Milwaukee in 14 innings when he pitched an inning of no-hit relief in the top of the seventh. 

The 68-56 Nationals are five games behind the Atlanta Braves in the National League East and leading the NL wild-card race by two games heading into Tuesday night's action.