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One of the big mysteries of the Royals post-season was the absence of Danny Duffy. Manager Ned Yost kept Duffy out of the rotation in every series, putting him in the bullpen. It was speculated that perhaps Duffy was hurt, since he had left a start after one pitch due to shoulder soreness in September in New York. However, he had pitched in two games since that injury, and his presence on the roster suggested he was at least healthy enough to pitch.
The Royals tried to explain that his mechanics were off since his injury, and that's why he was passed over for a post-season start in favor of inferior pitchers like Jason Vargas and Jeremy Guthrie. Ah, but now the truth comes out. The Royals were keeping secrets.
One postseason ? answered: Danny Duffy suffered a stress reaction in his ribcage during his last regular season start, Yost told The Star.
— Andy McCullough (@McCulloughStar) October 30, 2014
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
"Obviously, he definitely would have been one of our starters if he hadn’t suffered this before the postseason started," Yost told The Star on Wednesday night after the Royals fell, 3-2, in the seventh game of the World Series to San Francisco. "But this limited his innings."
So there you go, mystery solved. Ned isn't an idiot after all. Duffy doesn't know how he suffered the injury, but he is expected to be ready for a healthy 2015. Let's hope he is, because the Royals sure will need him.