HOUSTON –– Tyler Glasnow recorded his 1,000th MLB strikeout in the first inning Wednesday afternoon.
Then, he exited the game with something else that has recurred throughout his 11-year career.
As Glasnow was warming up before the bottom of the second inning, he said his back began to spasm –– something he's dealt with a couple times a year since high school. He felt it on one pitch, then another, prompting him to wave out a trainer and depart after a brief conversation.
The good news: Glasnow said he was hopeful the issue is "not too serious," and manager Dave Roberts said he expected the right-hander to avoid going on the injured list.
However, it's still an unwanted setback for the 32-year-old veteran who had repeatedly emphasized how good he was feeling physically at the start of this season –– only for another injury scare to pop up out of nowhere.
"It's hard to tell [the severity the] day of," Glasnow said after the game. "But it's not too bad. Hopefully it'll be better the next couple days."
Dodgers pitcher Tyler Glasnow left Wednesday's start after one inning due to low back pain. Getty Images
Entering Wednesday's game, Glasnow was 3-0 with a 2.56 ERA. AP
While Glasnow had gotten off to a strong start this season, entering Wednesday's series finale against the Astros with a 3-0 record and 2.56 ERA, injuries have been a problem since he arrived in the majors.
He has never made more than 22 starts in a campaign. Last year, he was limited to 18 outings and fewer than 100 innings in the regular season.
And while his most severe injuries have been to his arm –– including a Tommy John procedure in 2021 –– his back has also been a long-troublesome area.
"[It's from] being tall, I guess," the lanky 6-foot-8 All-Star said. "Just one of those things where it's thrown out. [But] once it feels better, it feels better. It shouldn't be too long."
Glasnow missed three weeks in 2024 with lower back tightness. He was also scratched from a start in Baltimore last September after his back tightened on him again.
The Dodgers hope this situation mirrors that latter occurrence. Glasnow not only avoided the IL after that but also found his stride down the stretch of the season and into the playoffs, when he made six outings (three starts, three relief appearances) with a 1.69 ERA.
"Kind of looking at the history, [his back usually] hasn't been an IL situation," Roberts said. "So I think, as I understand it, we're going to get back home, get an MRI, just make sure that's kind of what we see, and it's been similar to past occurrences, and go from there."
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The injury dampened what was shaping up to be a milestone day for Glasnow, who bounced back from giving up a leadoff home run to Brice Matthews by freezing Yordan Alvarez for his 1,000th career strikeout.
"It's a cool accomplishment," Glasnow said. "It would have been better if I didn't get taken out of the game in the second inning."
Even if Glasnow is forced to miss time, the Dodgers have a natural replacement coming in Blake Snell –– who will make one final rehab outing this weekend before returning from a shoulder injury that has sidelined him since the start of the year.
Glasnow, however, reiterated his hope to be back in action without a delay.
"I'm trying to go as quick as possible," he said. "Obviously not trying to make it any worse, but I'm not super worried about it. But we'll see."
