Rick Ankiel

Rick Ankiel #24 of the St. Louis Cardinals poses during photo day at Roger Dean Stadium on February 20, 2009 in Jupiter, Florida. (Photo by Doug Benc/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Rick Ankiel (Getty Images) more pics » Is it me or does this season seem unusually plagued with serious injuries and unfortunate deaths? Below is video (courtesy of ESPN) of Rick Ankiel 's head injury while chasing a ball into the wall. Ankiel had to be carted off the field, but as of this morning X-Rays are negative. Below is Matthew Leach's article on MLB.com. Ankiel runs into wall; X-rays negative Cards ... Read Full Story

St. Louis Cardinals center fielder Rick Ankiel was placed on a stretcher and carted off the field Monday night after he made an acrobatic catch on the warning track in the eighth inning of a 6-1 loss to Philadelphia. Phillies third baseman Pedro Feliz hit a drive into the gap in left-center with one out. Ankiel raced to the warning track, lunged and made an off-balanced catch. Ankiel was too close to the wall to stop his momentum, and he crashed head-first, jolting his neck and falling to the dirt. Cardinals trainer Barry Weinberg and several players ran toward Ankiel, who lie motionless on ... Read Full Story

Ryan Howard hit his seventh career grand slam, tying Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt for the Philadelphia Phillies record, in a 6-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday night that included a frightening injury to Rick Ankiel. The Cardinals' outfielder crashed headfirst into the fence after chasing down a line drive to the gap in the eighth inning. He flashed a thumbs-up sign as he was carted off the field strapped to a gurney and wearing a neck brace. St. Louis manager Tony La Russa said after the game that Ankiel was taken to a hospital for evaluation. Dr. George Paletta, the ... Read Full Story

Rick Ankiel . The guy is swingin' a red-hot bat these days. Everyone's favorite pitcher-turned outfield sensation homered twice for a career-high seven RBIs last night, to lead the defending World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals to a 16-4, rain-shortened ass-whooping of the Pittsburgh Pirates Thursday night. Smoking the tie-breaking, three-run shot in the second inning and a two-run dinger in the fifth, he is batting .358 with nine homers and 29 RBIs in just 23 games since being called up from the minors on Aug. 9th. Ankiel has done nothing but amaze the crap out of us. "The thing to remember when you ... Read Full Story

The St. Louis Cardinals hope center fielder Rick Ankiel and pitcher Chris Carpenter both can rejoin the team Wednesday. Ankiel bruised his right shoulder in a headfirst crash into the wall on May 4. He's been playing in extended spring training games and is eligible to come off the disabled list on Wednesday. Carpenter, the 2005 NL Cy Young winner, has been on the 15-day DL since April 15 because of a strained muscle in his left ribcage. The Cardinals moved up his timetable after a rainout Friday forced a shuffling of the rotation, along with Carpenter's impressive showing in an extended bullpen session. ... Read Full Story