PITTSBURGH _ Alen Hanson was first on the scene. The second baseman drifted toward the outfield, tracking the fly ball down the right-field line, and sped up once he saw Gregory Polanco, his teammate since their days at short-season Class A State College in 2011, crumpled to the ground, holding his right ankle. Hanson put a hand on Polanco's waist and bent over to check on his friend.
The high fly ball struck by the Arizona Diamondbacks' Yasmany Tomas in the sixth inning of the Pirates' 4-3 walk-off win Monday at PNC Park had sent Polanco crossing through shadows, shielding his eyes, as he bolted toward foul territory. He reached out, narrowly missing the baseball, and collided with the short fence that runs from the dugouts to the outfield corners.
Josh Bell arrived after Hanson, and they helped Polanco lean against the wall. Athletic trainer Ben Potenziano was next. Polanco did not put weight on his right leg for 44 seconds, and then only gingerly. He was whisked away on a cart, initially diagnosed with "right ankle discomfort."
The severity of Polanco's injury is unknown.
What's clear is he is a loss the Pirates could ill afford. They already are without Jung Ho Kang (visa issues), Starling Marte (suspension) and Jameson Taillon (testicular cancer). Pepper in Polanco and they are without four of their most valuable players from last season. Polanco returned from the 10-day disabled list four days ago after rehabbing a left hamstring strain.
It didn't help matters when backup catcher Chris Stewart, who had put the Pirates ahead with a two-out, two-run triple in the seventh, injured his left quad on the play and exited as well.
The injuries are likely to prompt another wave of roster moves. If Stewart is sidelined, catcher Elias Diaz is next in line at Class AAA Indianapolis.
If Polanco is out for an extended period of time, the Pirates could elect to promote top prospect Austin Meadows. They determined Meadows, 22, was not ready when Marte was suspended, as he was batting .146 for the Indians. But Meadows has hit well lately, batting .350 with a .915 OPS in his past 20 games. If Meadows is called up, it will be to make him an everyday starter.
In the game Monday, which became a side show to the injuries, Diamondbacks catcher Chris Iannetta claimed stalemate from the jaws of defeat with a full-count, two-out, two-run home run off closer Tony Watson in the ninth inning, tying the score with the very last swing of the bat.
Andrew McCutchen walked off with a leadoff homer in the bottom of the ninth inning, tying him with Ralph Kiner and Willie Stargell for most walk-off home runs (six) in Pirates history.
Pirates right-hander Trevor Williams showed improvement. He allowed four hits and one run in six innings, flashing efficiency. He was lifted after throwing just 67 pitches. Two Diamondbacks batters were hit by Williams' pitches, but neither was followed with retaliation.
The game began with a pair of people being hit by baseballs. In the first at-bat, Chris Owings grounded out on a ball that smacked Williams in the right shoe. The next batter, David Peralta, was clipped in the foot by an 0-2 slider and awarded first base after a video replay. Peralta scored after two-out singles by Jake Lamb and Tomas.
The Pirates ran _ literally _ into trouble twice before tying the game. Diamondbacks right-hander Randall Delgado faced the minimum the first time through the order, as Jordy Mercer and Hanson were caught stealing after their singles.
Mercer, who went 3 for 4, made amends in the fourth with a tailing line drive that flied over the right fielder Peralta's head and off the base of the wall for a triple. He scored Bell's sacrifice fly.
After Stewart tripled off reliever J.J. Hoover, manager Clint Hurdle called on left-hander Felipe Rivero to preserve the lead in the eighth. The first two batters reached on a walk and a single.
Rivero got Paul Goldschmidt, who had homered off him May 13 in Arizona, to bounce a grounder to shortstop. First baseman John Jaso, who had moved from left field to replace Bell for defensive purposes, could not handle the feed from second baseman Gift Ngoepe. Jaso compounded the error by throwing late and wild to third, though the runner did not advance.
Rivero escaped after a foul pop fly and a groundout, dropping his ERA to 0.68.
