Rick Ankiel was carted off the field with his head and neck immobilized, then taken to a hospital for tests after the St. Louis Cardinals outfielder slammed headfirst into the fence following a running catch Monday night.
Ankiel chased down Pedro Feliz’s long drive in the eighth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies but couldn’t stop himself from crashing into the padded center-field wall.
He stayed flat on his back for several minutes as teammates gathered around him, and the game was delayed about 15 minutes as a hush fell over Busch Stadium.
Ankiel was placed in a neck brace and strapped to a gurney before being carted off the field accompanied by team physician Dr. George Paletta and trainer Barry Weinberg. As he was wheeled off, Ankiel flashed a thumbs-up sign.
“It’s a scary thing to see, there’s no doubt about it,” Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said. “The fact that when Dr. Paletta saw him and said he was responsive, I think that’s encouraging.”
Ankiel was taken to a hospital for a CT scan and X-rays. Paletta told the team Ankiel never lost consciousness.
“I hope he’s not hurt,” Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said after his team’s 6-1 win. “He made a tremendous play, he gave 110 percent effort. He hit the wall pretty hard, from what I saw.”
When the Phillies’ Ryan Howard saw Ankiel give the thumbs-up, he knew it was a good sign.
“As soon as he hit, the first thing you want is to see him move,” Howard said. “It took a little while, but when he gave the thumbs-up that was a good feeling.”
Paletta told Cardinals manager Tony La Russa that Ankiel showed signs of whiplash and puffiness in his face. La Russa said Ankiel hit the wall so hard he dented his cap.
Article Source: MSNBC
Photo Courtesy of Jeff Roberson / AP
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