“I heard the gun go off and saw his middle finger hanging by a string” - Looking back at when former MLB All-Star Jose Canseco shot himself while cleaning his handgun
Former Major League Baseball outfielder and designated hitter Jose Canseco unintentionally shot himself in October 2014 while cleaning a firearm at his Las Vegas home.
He was immediately taken to the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada for medical assistance.
Per Las Vegas Metro Police Lt. Mark Reddon, Canseco suffered a critical injury. Lt. Reddon further confirmed that there was no criminal involvement.
"It was a serious hand injury...There was nothing suspicious. There was no alcohol involved, just a misstep with a handgun."
Jose Canseco accidentally shot himself in the hand at his Las Vegas home ble.ac/1tfRgE5 http://t.co/WFjee7LevV
"Jose Canseco accidentally shot himself in the hand at his Las Vegas home." - Bleacher Report
Leila Knight, Canseco's then fiance, was present at his Las Vegas home when the incident took place in the kitchen.
Knight told the "Los Angeles Times":
“I heard the gun go off and saw his middle finger hanging by a string."
Knight posted an update on Canseco's Twitter account to update.
This is Leila . Thank you all for the kind words and prayers . Jose is in still surgery and will be ok. Please pray for his finger !! 🙏🙏🙏🙏
"This is Leila. Thank you all for the kind words and prayers . Jose is in still surgery and will be ok. Please pray for his finger!!" - Jose Canseco
Like always, Canseco didn't spare this opportunity to garner attention.
Jose Canseco posted a series of comical tweets post his injury
Six-time All-Star Jose Canseco posted a slew of tweets about his accidental injury.
He joked about putting up his amputated finger on eBay, an American e-commerce platform.
I will soon put the finger that fell off in the poker tournament on eBay for sale
Jose also went onto tweet the description he would write for selling his detached finger as a product. It couldn't have gotten worse!
The eBay ad will read slightly used middle finger with 462 home runs could be used as a stirring straw for drinks
After Canseco's tweets about selling his injured finger on eBay, Bleacher Report did some research on eBay policies.
"We don't allow humans, the human body, or any human body parts or products to be listed on eBay, with two exceptions. Sellers can list items containing human scalp hair, and skulls and skeletons intended for medical use."
According to Sports Illustrated, the finger was reattached, and bone from his hip was later added.
Canseco is a six-time All-Star and two-time World Series Champion. Throughout his MLB career, he played for eight teams, including Oakland Athletics (1985–1992), Texas Rangers (1992–1994), Boston Red Sox (1995–1996), Oakland Athletics (1997), Toronto Blue Jays (1998), Tampa Bay Devil Rays (1999–2000), New York Yankees (2000) and Chicago White Sox (2001).
In 2005, he confessed to using steroids during his tenure in MLB in his book "Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits & How Baseball Got Big." Post-retirement from MLB, he went on to pursue boxing and MMA.