Moments later, Morton hobbled off the field, ending his season 16 pitches after the ball had hit him. He was replaced by A.J. Minter.

“He struck out a guy on a broken leg,” Minter said. “It’s pretty remarkable.”

Snitker suggested that the fracture might not have developed until Morton went back for the third inning.

“I’m not a doctor and all that, but I don’t know that it was broken when he did that,” the manager said in reference to the outs recorded in the second inning. “I mean, it was stressed, but he felt OK.”

Atlanta will be allowed to replace Morton on the World Series roster with another pitcher, but it has lost one of the pillars of its pitching staff, and someone with notable success against the Astros.

In 14 major league seasons, including two with the Astros, Morton has established himself as a clutch post-season pitcher and has done particularly well against his former team.

Morton has also been a strong influence on his teammates, and most likely will continue to provide support and advice to his fellow pitchers for the rest of the series. Max Fried, Atlanta’s game two starter, called Morton a calming influence before game one.

“Especially when you go into really emotional games, especially when it comes to play-off games,” Fried said, “to be able to look to him in these circumstances is really, really helpful.”

Morton pitched for Houston in 2017 and 2018, and won game seven of the 2017 World Series with four splendid innings in relief. He left a strong impression as a terrific teammate.

“The best you can ever have,” Altuve, Houston’s second baseman, said before the series began. “He’s that good. He’s amazing. I only have good things to say about him.”

Morton’s final pitching line of the 2021 season was 2 1/3 innings in which he allowed one hit and no runs. He walked two and struck out three, but what will never be shown in the box score is whether he recorded his final three outs on a broken leg.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.