Croix Bethune, a professional soccer player for the Washington Spirit and a member of the United States women’s national soccer team, suffered a season-ending knee injury after throwing out the first pitch at a Washington Nationals baseball game.
It’s the worst kind of injury an athlete can get – one that happens away from the game.
The incident took place last week before a matchup between the Nationals and the New York Yankees.
Major League Baseball honored Bethune and three of her teammates who had come back to the Washington, D.C. area after winning gold for the U.S. as part of the women’s soccer team at the Summer Olympics.
Video of the pitch doesn’t reveal much that would indicate a serious injury as she comes off the mound. Bethune can be seen kicking her head back and laughing, perhaps because the pitch sailed very, very wide.
@highlighther Croix threw that ball so hard homie went out the frame 😂😂 @brwalkoff (via @Washington Spirit) #soccer #baseball #first #pitch #throw #fypage ♬ original sound – HighlightHER
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Croix Bethune Out For The Season
While it looked harmless, that first pitch by Croix Bethune was anything but. The Spirit announced that she tore her meniscus “away from training”, an injury that will end the midfielder’s season.
Spirit coach Jonatan Giráldez announced the bad news Wednesday after Bethune hadn’t traveled with the team to a contest against the San Diego Wave.
“She had a problem making the first pitch the other day [at] the baseball game,” Giráldez told reporters, according to Pro Soccer Wire.
“We will report about exactly what she has, but she is not going to be available this season. It’s bad, bad news, but in the end, it’s part of life. We have to keep going.”
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What A Terrible Way To End The Season
It’s one thing to get injured out on the pitch in the midst of a contest, but it’s absolutely horrible to get injured during a relatively mundane event.
Especially one honoring your efforts during the Olympics.
Croix Bethune had been having an impressive rookie season in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), even tying the rookie record for assists.
She was the third overall pick in the NWSL draft and had five goals and 10 assists in 17 games. Bethune had just earned Rookie of the Month honors in August for her performance. It was her fourth such honor.
The team’s cautious approach to handling the meniscus injury is understandable considering Bethune suffered three ACL tears during her time in high school and college.
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