Danny Duffy was pitching hurt.
The Kansas City Royals' left-handed starter suffered a stress reaction in his ribcage in his last regular season start, it was revealed after Game 7 of the World Series, which the San Francisco Giants won 3-2 on Wednesday night.
Duffy lasted only two innings in that final start, on Sept. 27 in Chicago against the White Sox. He gave up four runs on five hits, two of them home runs.
Duffy was a revelation for the Royals in 2014, finishing the season with a 2.53 ERA and 1.11 WHIP in 31 games (25 starts) and 149 1/3 innings.
Yost wanted to start Duffy in Game 1 of the ALDS. The training staff told him Duffy could only go two innings at a time.
— Andy McCullough (@McCulloughStar) October 30, 2014
The 25-year-old pitched in relief in the postseason, appearing in three games and allowing two earned runs in 4 2/3 innings, good for a 3.86 ERA and 1.50 WHIP.
