The St. Louis Cardinals’ center fielder left the Busch Stadium strapped to a gurney and wearing a neck brace after crashing into the outfield wall. The impact left him unconsciously on the ground for several minutes after he run full speed chasing a deep liner in the gap. The incident involving the center fielder overshadowed the record-tying grand slam made by Ryan Howard in Philadelphia Phillies’6-1 victory Monday night.

Ankiel was carted off the field but first he gave the crowd a thumbs-up sign meaning he is ok for the moment. He was hospitalized overnight for observation even if his primary test all came negative and showed no fractures.

Cardinals’ left fielder Chris Duncan said that Ankiel plays his post more aggressively than anyone he had ever seen and that even if he makes a really good play, it’s sometimes scary to see him on the field. Phillies manager Charlie Manuel also expressed his concerned for Ankiel’s health and congratulated him for his very good performance during the game.

On the other hand, Howard hit his seventh career slam, matching Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt for the Phillies record. The St. Louis boy is a .383 career hitter at 4-year-old Busch Stadium accumulating sevem homers and 28 RBIs in 60 at-bats. Howard felt very good about his achievement and said that it is always a pleasure and a special feeling when playing in front of your hometown fans.

Kyle Lohse also suffered a minor accident after getting hit by a pitch in his left elbow in the third. The right-handler said that after that every delivery hurt and the results reflect his injury

No related posts.

baseball