Ryan Howard’s season-ending walk-off torn Achilles (not ACL)
Posted by Andy on October 8, 2011
It seems rare that professional sports games live up to the hype. Super Bowls come to mind, as do baseball matchups of ace pitchers. But last night's Cardinals-Phillies game was simply awesome, and a fitting low-scoring battle as we come down off the Steroids Era scoring high.
Anyway, we've seen lots of interesting ways to end a game or a season:
- Walk-off balks
- Walk-off hit-by-pitch
- Walk-off game-losing hits
- Game-ending triple plays and walk-off double plays
- Walk-off cycle
- Walk-off sac bunt
- Walk-off mystery hit
- Game-ending reaches on error
- Season-ending walk
We've also seen tons of athletes end their season with a torn ACL or Achilles--however that usually happens in the middle of a game and in the middle of the season.
But did you see this last night? Ryan Howard apparently (pending MRI results) tore his Achilles on the final play of the game, crumbling to the ground as the Cardinals rushed the field to celebrate their NLDS victory.
I cannot recall any team's season ever ending with a serious injury to a player. What a terrible shame for Howard and the Phillies--if indeed the injury is serious, it's tough to imagine him being ready for spring training in 2012.
October 8th, 2011 at 3:54 am
Story says Howard thinks he tore his left Achilles tendon (ankle), not his anterior cruciate ligament (knee). Big difference there.
Interestingly, this seems to be the week of the Achilles tear among high-level athletes -- U.S. gymnast Alicia Sacramone just tore her Achilles tendon yesterday in Japan and New York Jets linebacker Bryan Williams tore his last week against the Ravens.
October 8th, 2011 at 4:06 am
Yeah, oops--I read a bit quickly there.
October 8th, 2011 at 4:20 am
he has an injured ankle, but with a torn Achilles tendon he wouldn´t be able to move that far.
October 8th, 2011 at 7:43 am
On the last play of the game, I had a momentary feeling
of disgust directed at Ryan Howard.
I didn't think he bothered to run, thinking it was an automatic
out.
Than to see him just crumpled up on the first base line as
the Cardinals celebrated on his home field.
It was amazing to watch.
This was baseball at its dramatic best IMO.
The long awaited rematch of the 82 WS can
finally occur. Whoever could have imagined
it would be in the NLCS.
October 8th, 2011 at 8:18 am
@ Koma
I tore my Achilles and was able to walk on it although I could not feel my foot!
October 8th, 2011 at 8:33 am
Phillie first-baseman Bill White injured his Achilles after a 100+ RBI season in 1966. His playing career was never the same, and he was through before 1970. I hope Howard doesn't have the same fate.
October 8th, 2011 at 8:37 am
Don't worry--Howard's already not the same anymore.
October 8th, 2011 at 9:12 am
"The long awaited rematch of the 82 WS can
finally occur"
Yo Jason,
Long awaited by whom? Ted Simmons and Don Sutton?
On another note - Howard to DH for the Yankees with his crippling injury and broken-down A-Rod to the Phillies - even up. 6 years $150,000,000 left on Howard's contract; A-Rod has maybe $170,000,000. Let the Yankees pick up the difference. Maybe they can resurrect their careers...
October 8th, 2011 at 9:16 am
@8 Paul E: Howard for A-Rod - what's the point? What difference would it make?
October 8th, 2011 at 9:37 am
@4 Jason: I had the same feeling (and I'm not even a Phillies fan). When the play happened live I said, "Where's Howard? He didn't even run it out? What a jerk." Then they showed him crumpled on the ground
Although it's not really accurate to call it a walk-off since he wasn't able to walk off. Should probably call it a 'season ending limp-off injury'
October 8th, 2011 at 11:21 am
Well, perhaps this gives some perspective to all of us who have been critical of R Howard (or, more accurately, the fools in filly who gave him all that moolah). These guys are human, and they are sharing their highs and lows with all of us right there on that field. Good luck to Howard in his recovery.
October 8th, 2011 at 11:42 am
9) Stu B:
A new start never hurt anyone; maybe Howard and A-Rod get less abuse in a new town? Phillies could use a RH power hitter; Howard can DH in lieu of A-Rod for the next six years. They can trade downtown condo's as well. Maybe Yanks can go after Reyes and FINALLY move Jetes to 3B?
Strange coincidence media darlings/fan favorites/halo-wearing Jeter and Utley fly out to the warning track in the 9th and A-Rod and Howard make the last outs. They all made outs, but, fans choose to focus on the HR hitters as goats......just a thought
October 8th, 2011 at 12:06 pm
OK, so if the Yankees make that deal, you also want them to sign Reyes? Another huge contract - maybe you want a $300 million payroll?
October 8th, 2011 at 12:06 pm
Jason @ 4, my thoughts were similar to yours. There is no way the fastest runner - let alone Ryan Howard - could have beaten out that grounder, but you have to run it out. My first thought was "Where is Howard?" Obviously, he was hurt and has good reason to not run to first, but what an odd way to end a series.
Imagine this scenario: Runners on second and third, two outs in the bottom of the ninth, 1-0 score. The batter hits an apparent clean single to the outfield but is injured on his way to first. A game-winning hit would turn into an outfield-assisted put out at first.
October 8th, 2011 at 1:09 pm
With tongue planted firmly in cheek, I would say that the
rematch of the 82 WS is important to Moose Haas.
I wonder if Moose Skowron will be watching.
October 8th, 2011 at 1:12 pm
Jay, I seem to remember Mickey Mantle having a problem similar to that. I don't know about the game situation, but it turned an easy single into an out. It must've been on a Saturday afternoon game as I remember it vaguely. I also remember Killebrew tearing a hamstring on a stretch at 1st base during an all-star game.
October 8th, 2011 at 3:11 pm
Yeah, Jay. I thought of the same thing almost instantly. I envisioned Howard either crawling or hopping on one leg down to first trying to beat the throw from the rightfielder and just getting nipped at the wire.
October 8th, 2011 at 9:35 pm
for all those criticizing Howard....I have had both of mine blown(a few years apart,however) and it is more painful and crippling than you could imagine...so,until you have been through it,there really is no need to criticize anyone for not running/crawling/limping a play out.I am not a phillies fan,but,I have been through this same injury and can definately relate to Ryan Howard..furthermore,I like the Brewers with the exception of the arrogant Nyjer Morgan.With that said...GO CARDS!!!
October 8th, 2011 at 9:57 pm
I had the same reaction as everyone as Howard's absence running to first.
Watching the replay though, he showed his true colours. Despite the immense pain he was in when the injury occurred, he made an effort to resume running to first base, even on a play he had no chance of reaching on.
October 8th, 2011 at 10:24 pm
Howard was doing bad before his injury. Also he was doing bad on last year's NLCS.
IN FACT, the injury became his redemption and make his monumental non-performance at the NLDS.
He contributed more than anyone about the loss of game 5 and others. If he didn't hit that ball after three balls, the Phillies would have won.
Hurting the achilles tendon is not an excuse; the dues should be paid, and I think his contract should be modified as best as it can to reflect his injury and other factors.
October 8th, 2011 at 10:31 pm
@14, I wondered the same thing last night. What if Howard's hit had gotten through the infield and the Phil's season had ended on a 9-3 because Howard couldn't move? As horrible as this ending was, that would have been just one of the worst things to see ever. And I say this as someone who hates the Phillies. It just wouldn't be the way you'd want someone to lose
...
unless it was A-Rod, I could live with that.
October 8th, 2011 at 10:56 pm
@21
If the season ended with a 9-3, Howard would have been more vilified than now. Not everyone follows up with news, and Howard will be forever branded as the 25 million player who didn't run at two outs in ninth inning.
If that could have turned into a public outrage to shorten Howard's career and save the team lots of money, that would have been a blessng in disguise.
October 8th, 2011 at 11:14 pm
Well, at least we can say this: The Phillies are done.
October 9th, 2011 at 1:20 am
Although it wasn't a season ending injury, the most famous injury on the final play of a game that I can think of is Ray Fosse separating his shoulder in a collision with Pete Rose on the final play of the 1970 All Star game.
October 9th, 2011 at 2:19 am
The season ending injury to Jeff Heath in 1948:
With 3 days left in the season in 1948 the Boston Braves had the National League pennant sewed up.
Jeff heath was one of the Braves better hitters, batting .319 with 20 homers.
Playing out the season Jeff was in a famous photo sliding into home plate breaking his ankle.
With Jeff out of the lineup, the Braves lost the 1948 World Series to the Cleveland Indians 4 games to 2.
Heath returned for the 1949 season but played in only 36 games hitting .306 with 9 homers in only 126 PA's.
That was it for Heath who hit .293 over 14 seasons.
Heath led the National League in triples 2 times with a high of 20 in 1941.
Jeff Heath BB-Ref Page:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/heathje01.shtml
October 9th, 2011 at 2:27 am
@ 25 Correction:
Jeff Heath was playing for Cleveland in 1941 when he led the League in triples.
Of course he was overshadowed that year with Ted Williams hitting .406 and Joe Di Maggio having the 56 game hitting streak.
In 1948 Heath playing for the Boston Braves was not a favorite of the Red Sox.
He was quoted in the papers as saying he hoped Cleveland would win the AL pennant since they had a larger stadium than the Red Sox and thus his World Series Check would be larger.
October 9th, 2011 at 3:07 am
@21.
Re: injured runners
Rule 5.10(c)(1) permits replacement of runners injured in mid-play, but only in a dead ball situation (i.e. ball goes out-of-play, but player's injury prevents play being completed). One example, below, from Retrosheet.org seems apropos considering it was also an achilles injury. Difference, though, was, unlike Howard's case, there was a dead-ball situation (in this case, a home run) which permitted the runner to be replaced.
9/14/2005 (Red Sox at Blue Jays) - In the top of the 5th, Gabe Kapler was on first when Tony Graffanino hit a deep fly ball near the line in left that Kapler thought might be in play, so he started running hard. As he rounded second base, he ruptured his left Achilles tendon and sprawled on to ground. The ball went over the fence for a homer, but Graffanino wisely stopped at second base while Kapler was attended to. After many minutes, Kapler was loaded onto a cart and taken off the field. Alejandro Machado, appearing in his 4th Major League game, entered as a pinch-runner and scored his first Major League run in front of Graffanino.
October 9th, 2011 at 9:26 am
@25 i tried to find this famous photo of jeff heath breaking his ankle but know luck ......anyone else find it
October 9th, 2011 at 9:27 am
@20 Cabriael: A contract is a contract, legally binding on both parties as long as both meet their obligations, which do not include specific performance results. How can you change the terms of a contract because the player is injured while fulfilling that contract? And why do you post such moronic statements on here? Maybe you also think Howard deserves to be hanged or beheaded?
Looks like he needs surgery for a ruptured Achilles and will miss at least half of next season or more.
October 9th, 2011 at 10:03 am
@28 Dustin: I couldn't find the photo either, but I found this bio - http://bioproj.sabr.org/bioproj.cfm?a=v&v=l&bid=1447&pid=6044 - that makes Manny Ramirez and others seem like choir boys by comparison.
October 9th, 2011 at 10:37 am
@22
Nobody would have mistaken Howard for not running out that ball on that play. The media feeds us too much crap as it is, not to mention the 9,000 replays that would be made available. You'd have to live under a rock not to know the circumstances..
However, there were 2 unique scoring decisions that Punto could have done that were possible. He could have either ran to first himself for a 4U, or thrown the ball to Molina to tag Howard for a 4-2.
October 9th, 2011 at 10:40 am
@ 20 and 22. You must be one of those Philadelphia fans who booed Mike Schmidt and Santa Claus.
October 9th, 2011 at 10:40 am
@31
Not sure how many times either of those scoring decisions were ever done were ever accomplished to get the hitter out at 1st base, even though it would have been unsportsmanlike in Howard's situation.
October 9th, 2011 at 10:47 am
@32: Judging by his posting history on this site, Cabriael just appears to be a garden-variety nutjob, a few pliers short of a toolkit.
October 9th, 2011 at 10:47 am
@20
"He contributed more than anyone about the loss of game 5 and others. If he didn't hit that ball after three balls, the Phillies would have won."
Uh, Carpenter contributed to a lot of that loss. This coming from a die hard long time Phils fan. If you watched that game, and have watched any of Carpenter's starts at his best, then you knew he was in that zone. THEY GOT BEAT BY THE BETTER PITCHER THAT NIGHT, PLAIN AND SIMPLE. There I said it.
And yes, I will still watch every game of the rest of the playoffs. I don't run and hide when the going gets rough.
October 9th, 2011 at 11:24 am
I believe Heath in 1941 is the first to go 20-20-20? Almost had 20 SB (18); but, it wasn't for a lack of trying with an AL high 12 CS....
career 139 OPS+
October 9th, 2011 at 9:24 pm
O.K. boys and girls; tell me what you think of this scenario.....during the game the camera did close-ups of Howard in the dugout after making out each time. No one sat near him and no one talked to him. He had to feel like crap coming to bat with two outs as he did so many other times during the season....and knowing he would make the out to end the game. He practiced doing that many times during the season so this was a given in his mind. How low do you think he felt before he hit the ball the last time?
So much of the game is psychological and he's a head-job anyway. Don't get me wrong; I congratulate Howard for the hard work he has put in at his position and no doubt he has felt over his head since the big contract laid tons of pressure on him to produce. There's the crux if you want to blame someone. The millions made him fold and now the millions will protect him from the press. Call the achilles what you will....a godsend or a made-up injury; it makes no difference; and it takes the monumental pressure off for good. I don't expect him back because his weight won't allow him to run again on that injury; if it is real; and if it isn't real then we will see a medical miracle recovery; and the best thing for him is a DH contract if anybody wants him.
My money is on an early retirement. That's best for the fans, the owners and future teammates. It will save tons of heartaches for everyone. Perhaps detailed xrays will tell the tale; real or fictionalized.
October 9th, 2011 at 10:26 pm
OK, I'm a Yankee fan and not Philly fan, (we have A-Rod), but why such a scorch job on Howard? Howard has a contract that pays him more than he's worth-but there must be twenty big money contracts out there right now which seriously overpay. He didn't opt out and market his talents elsewhere. The Phillies extended him before they had to. What is it that drives people nuts about him? It's a serious question-does he not hustle, does he ask out at every ache and pain, does he give preening interviews to magazines? I get it that he's not the player he was a few years ago, and the extension was a huge mistake, but why? What causes people to dislike someone so much you root for an injury?
October 9th, 2011 at 11:50 pm
@20 and @22-
There is an old saying you would be well served to consider...
Better to be thought a fool than to open ones mouth and remove
all doubt.
October 10th, 2011 at 2:46 am
@38.
"... there must be twenty big money contracts out there right now which seriously overpay."
Like Vernon Wells, for example. The Angels would take Howard's production and contract in a heartbeat.
October 10th, 2011 at 3:09 am
@28, @30.
Here is the Jeff Heath photo.
http://books.google.ca/books?id=dEoEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA98&dq=jeff+heath&hl=en&ei=V5mSTrj_HsfUiALvoY2LDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDAQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=jeff%20heath&f=false
October 10th, 2011 at 8:02 pm
@41: Thanks! And just to the right of the photo is an ad for Shinola, which some folks don't kno s**t from, LOL!
October 11th, 2011 at 11:11 pm
@37
You're a lunatic who doesn't know wtf they're talking about