Twins second baseman Tsuyoshi Nishioka injured his left knee on a takeout slide from the Yankees’ Nick Swisher in the bottom of the seventh inning and needed to be helped off the diamond. Matt Tolbert replaced him in the game.
With one out and Swisher on first, Mark Teixeira bounced a pitch from Jose Mijares toward Nishioka at second base. Nishioka fielded the ball on the third-base side of second, tapped the bag, and threw to first, trying to complete the double-play. But Swisher slid under Nishioka, who didn’t, or couldn’t, protect himself in time. He landed on his stomach and lay on the diamond for a moment before the training staff attended to him. Swisher clapped Nishioka on the back as he trotted back to the dugout.
Teixeria was safe at first on the play.
Television replays showed Swisher shaking his head and muttering an expletive to himself in disgust in the dugout as the Twins’ trainers helped Nishioka off the field. Nishioka did not use his left leg at all, and thus needed their support to get back to the clubhouse.
A rookie from Japan, the 26-year-old Nishioka is hitting .208 this season.