^[1]

Francisco Liriano

Francisco Liriano recently agreed to a one-year deal deal with the Pirates with a team option for 2014. It could have been a two-year contract, if not for breaking his right arm around Christmas time in a freak accident ^[2].

Initially, a few weeks ago, a Dominican newspaper reported that Liriano fractured his right arm after slipping and falling in the bathroom. That would be a strange enough injury, but as Joba Chamberlain knows, that type of injury is only “childs play” ^[3] compared to what really happened.

According to reports Monday, Liriano said he actually injured his arm while intentionally slamming it into a door on Christmas Day in an attempt to scare his children in the room next door.

“I was surprised when I got to the hospital and they told me it was broken,” Liriano said.

The situation could have been worse in that Liriano is a left-handed pitcher, and because the injury occurred on his non-throwing arm, he was able to salvage a one-year deal. Liriano is a pitcher who has showed flashes of brilliance, but due to numerous injuries, his career has been a disappointment ^[4].

The 29-year-old burst onto the scene in 2006 with the Twins, going 12-3 with a 2.16 ERA and 144 strikeouts in 121 innings pitched. He missed all of the 2007 season and parts of 2008, before a poor 2009 season. Liriano had a good comeback year in 2010 (14-10, 3.62 ERA), before more inconsistencies during the past two seasons.