Croix Bethune to miss rest of season after first injury

The honor of playing for the Washington Nationals proved costly for Washington Spirit standout infielder Croix Bethune.

The U.S. national team player was placed on the injured list for the rest of the season on Wednesday because of a torn meniscus he suffered outside of practice last week, the club announced.

Head coach Jonatan Giraldez filled in the rest of the story: Bethune was injured while throwing out the ceremonial first pitch during a Nationals game.

Croix Bethune injured after first throw

very nice moment @CroixBethune he threw the first throw in @Compatriots‘ plays tonight! photo:twitter.com/C4MIWzsLLW

Croix Bethune will miss the rest of the 2024 season due to injury.

— Washington Spirit (@WashSpirit) September 4, 2024

“She had trouble throwing the first pitch recently (during) a baseball game,” Giráldez told reporters. “We’ll keep you posted on exactly what she has, but she won’t be available this season. It’s bad, bad news, but in the end it’s part of life. We have to move on.”

Bethune, a 23-year-old rookie, was a member of the U.S. women’s team that won the gold medal at the Paris Olympics this summer.

This year with the Spirit, she has five goals and 10 assists in 17 games. Bethune’s 10th assist in her 12th career game tied the NWSL single-season record set by Tobin Heath in 2016 with the Portland Thorns.

Bethune was NWSL Rookie of the Month in March/April, May, June and August. No player has ever won the award in consecutive months.

One more for @CroixBethune.

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) September 5, 2024

Washington selected her with the third pick in the 2024 NWSL Draft out of Georgia, where she became an All-American in 2023 after two seasons of similar honors at Southern California.

–Field Level Media