Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras breaks left forearm when hit by J.D. Martinez's bat

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras broke his left forearm when he was hit by a swing during Tuesday night’s 7-5 loss to the New York Mets.

Contreras told reporters he will need surgery and miss at least six weeks.

“So right now I mean, I’m in pain pretty good, but I’m really upset missing,” Contreras said. “I know that it’s going to be tough for me to watch the games and not out there with the guys, but I’m going to do my best to stay present, pick each other up and cheer for them because that’s the best thing I can do.”

Contreras got hurt with J.D. Martinez at the plate in the second inning. After he was clipped by Martinez’s swing, the three-time All-Star tumbled over in obvious pain and then jogged away before sitting down while was examined by St. Louis' training staff.

“I hit meat,” Martinez said. “I felt like I hit meat. I didn’t hit like just like a glove where you kind of just point back to catcher, it was just solid. I was like, dude, I hit him good. ... I felt terrible.”

Martinez was awarded first base due to catcher’s interference. The team said Contreras had a left forearm fracture, and Iván Herrera took over behind the plate.

Contreras said he thought Martinez was a little late on his swing, which led to bad timing.

“I think if he sees the pitch well, he’d try to hit a little up front and he wouldn’t hit me,” Contreras said. “I’m not blaming him. He’s doing his thing. Things happen for a reason.”

Cardinals starter Miles Mikolas called Contreras the team’s “beating heart” behind the plate.

“He’s close to the plate trying to steal strikes,” Mikolas said. “You know, as pitchers we appreciate that, but you know, if we knew he was going to get hurt, I’d rather throw all balls. … Thinking about it after the fact, I think there should be a line back there, you know, for the catchers and just have them stay behind the line. That way, no one can get any closer than the next guy. And if you put them back there in a spot that’s deemed safe, and you know, that might help guys.”

Contreras doubled and scored during St. Louis’ three-run first. He is hitting .280 with six homers and 12 RBIs. The 31-year-old is in the second year of a five-year, $87.5 million contract.

“It’s a tough one, man,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “He’s been doing such a phenomenal job. He’s an extreme competitor. He brings so much to the club performance-wise, but also with just his competitive nature, so to see him go down is tough. I feel for him, I really do. He was putting together a really nice year and helping us in a lot of ways so it’s a tough one.”

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

St. Louis Cardinals' Willson Contreras celebrates after hitting a double during the first inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets Tuesday, May 7, 2024, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

St. Louis Cardinals' Willson Contreras follows through on a double during the first inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets Tuesday, May 7, 2024, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras (40) is helped up by manager Oliver Marmol, right, and trainer Adam Olsen, left, after being injured during the second inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets Tuesday, May 7, 2024, in St. Louis. Contreras left the game. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras, right, is helped off the field by trainer Adam Olsen, left, after being injured during the second inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets Tuesday, May 7, 2024, in St. Louis. Contreras left the game. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras, left, is helped off the field by trainer Adam Olsen, right, after being injured during the second inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets Tuesday, May 7, 2024, in St. Louis. Contreras left the game. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Using armored vehicles and backhoes to shove aside charred barricades, French security forces worked Sunday to retake control of the highway to the international airport in violence-scorched New Caledonia, shuttered because of deadly unrest wracking the French Pacific archipelago where indigenous people have long sought independence from France.

An eventual reopening of the Nouméa-La Tontouta airport to commercial flights could allow stranded tourists to escape the island where armed clashes, arson, looting and other mayhem have prompted France to impose a state of emergency. The airport, with routes to Australia, Singapore, New Zealand and other destinations, closed Tuesday as protests against voting reforms opposed by pro-independence supporters degenerated into widespread violence, leaving a vast trail of destruction.

French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, posting on social media platform X, said the “major operation” was “aimed at fully regaining control” of the RT1 highway between the capital, Nouméa, and the airport 60 kilometers (nearly 40 miles) to the northwest. He said more than 600 gendarmes were deployed. The number spoke to the difficulty of clearing roads of charred debris and barricades erected by pro-independence demonstrators and residents who have banded together to try to protect homes and livelihoods against rioters and looters.

The police effort to reopen the airport road cleared nearly 60 barricades on its first day, French authorities in New Caledonia' posted on X.

The French High Commission, in a statement, described the night of Saturday to Sunday as “calmer" but still spoke of two blazes and the looting of a gas station, without giving details. A 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew is in effect and security forces have been granted emergency powers, including house detention for people deemed a threat to public order and expanded leeway to conduct searches, seize weapons and restrict movements, with possible jail time for violators.

The High Commission also said 230 people it described as rioters have been detained.

Nouméa’s mayor, Sonia Lagarde, told French broadcaster BFMTV on Sunday that fully clearing the airport road could take “days and days” because of "an enormous amount of burned carcasses of cars.”

“The situation is still dramatic,” she said.

Gen. Nicolas Matthéos, head of the archipelago’s public order force of gendarmes, said some barricades had been booby-trapped with gas canisters and reinforced with “walls of vehicles."

The foreign ministers of Australia and New Zealand said they are seeking French green lights to fly out their nationals.

“French authorities advise the situation on the ground is preventing flights. We continue to pursue approvals,” the Australian minister, Penny Wong, posted on X.

On Saturday, French authorities reported a sixth fatality in the violence, following an exchange of gunfire at a barricade in the north of the main island, at Kaala-Gomen.

There have been decades of tensions between indigenous Kanaks seeking independence and descendants of colonizers who want to remain part of France.

The unrest erupted Monday as the French legislature in Paris debated amending the French constitution to make changes to New Caledonia voter lists. The National Assembly in Paris approved a bill that will, among other changes, allow residents who have lived in New Caledonia for 10 years to cast ballots in provincial elections.

Opponents fear the measure will benefit pro-France politicians in New Caledonia and further marginalize Kanaks who once suffered from strict segregation policies and widespread discrimination.

FILE - Smoke rises during protests in Noumea, New Caledonia, Wednesday May 15, 2024. Using backhoes to shove aside charred vehicles, French security forces worked Sunday, May 19, 2024, to retake control of the highway to the international airport in violence-scorched New Caledonia, shuttered because of deadly unrest wracking the French South Pacific island where indigenous people have long sought independence from France. (AP Photo/Nicolas Job, File)

FILE - This handout photo provided by the French Army shows security force embarking a plane to New Caledonia at the Istres military base, southern France, on Thursday, May 16, 2024. Using backhoes to shove aside charred vehicles, French security forces worked Sunday, May 19, 2024, to retake control of the highway to the international airport in violence-scorched New Caledonia, shuttered because of deadly unrest wracking the French South Pacific island where indigenous people have long sought independence from France. (Etat Major des Armees via AP, File)