THUMB’S DOWN:Francisco “K-Rod” Rodriguez will miss the rest of the season with a thumb injury he suffered while allegedly beating up girlfriend Daian Peña’s father, Carlos. (VICTOR ALCORN)
(VICTOR ALCORN)
Maybe the “K” should stand for knucklehead.
Combustible Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez is out for the season with a torn thumb ligament he suffered on his pitching hand when he allegedly beat up his girlfriend’s father in a Citi Field hallway, team officials said yesterday.
As his teammates headed to Houston, the hotheaded hurler, known as K-Rod for his many strikeouts, remained in New York for an MRI after complaining to trainers about pain in the thumb on Sunday, a day after returning to action from a two-game team-imposed suspension for the ballpark beatdown.
“An MRI revealed the tear and Mets medical staff has recommended surgery to repair it,” the tailspinning team said in a statement hours before a game in Houston against the Astros. “The date of the surgery is yet to be determined.”
The surgery is almost certain to end Rodriguez’s season — and maybe his Mets career.
After this season, Rodriguez — dubbed K-Rod for his flair at striking batters out — will have a year remaining on his three-year, $37 million contract.
But it is unclear if the pitcher’s petulant antics — or the pending criminal charges — will enable the team to void the final year of the pact. Sources said the team will try to recoup the money K-Rod is paid while on the disabled list because of the circumstances involving the injury.
The pitcher-turned-slugger was charged with assaulting his girlfriend’s father, Carlos Peña, after a game at Citi Field last Wednesday. A police spokesman said then that Rodriguez “repeatedly hit him in the face and hit his head against a wall.”
Officials said the clubhouse clobbering started after K-Rod launched a foul-mouthed post-game tirade at his girlfriend, Daian Peña. Her father intervened and stood up to the bad-tempered boor, only to get pummeled by the pitcher as players’ wives and children looked on.
“You can’t talk to my daughter that way,” Peña yelled, before he was beaten as though he had charged the mound.
A Queens judge granted Peña and his daughter restraining orders barring Rodriguez from the Long Island home he shares with them.
Peña and his daughter spent four hours Friday helping Queens prosecutors mount an assault case against Rodriguez.
K-Rod struck out with fans, who booed him during a late-game appearance Saturday night.
That same day, Rodriguez apologized to Mets management and his teammates, but offered no words of contrition to his girlfriend — with whom he has 1-year-old boy-girl twins — or her father.
Rodriguez also said he would be attending an anger-management program.