Najar to Miss Rest of CSUN’s Season With Arm Fracture

Cal State Northridge right-hander John Najar suffered a fractured bone in his throwing arm while on the mound Friday night and is out for the rest of the season.

Najar, a junior, is the second member of the Matadors’ three-member starting rotation whose season ended prematurely. Right-hander Keven Kempton was lost to elbow surgery six weeks ago.

Najar, who was 5-3 with an earned-run average of 5.83, broke the ulna--the larger forearm bone--while throwing a fastball in the eighth inning of Friday’s 9-8 loss to San Diego State, which leads the Western Athletic Conference West Division with a record of 7-3. Northridge is one game behind the Aztecs at 6-4.

Several of Najar’s teammates said they heard the bone crack from the dugout.

“I turned white,” pitcher Aaron D’Aoust said.

After throwing the pitch, Najar cradled his arm and walked into right field. He said he had been pitching with a hairline stress fracture that finally broke completely. He isn’t sure how or when the stress fracture occurred and had been throwing in pain for several weeks. “It just gave out,” Najar said. “I knew there was a chance this could happen.”

The Matadors (18-18 overall) are in the midst of a key three-game Western Athletic Conference series at first-place San Diego State. Saturday’s game was rained out and will be made up as part of a doubleheader at 2 p.m. today.

The Matadors play another big WAC series next weekend in Hawaii. “It’s pretty ill-timed,” Coach Bill Kernen said with a sigh. “Now you take everybody you’ve got (left to fill the void).”

Najar was even more frustrated.

“It’s very disappointing,” he said. “Why did this have to happen to me? Why right now?”