Ankiel is completely out of whack, mechanically, mentally, emotionally. This is extremely difficult to watch, even when you know exactly what's coming. My conclusion is yes, it is every bit as brutal as all that. A few months ago, I was finally able to get my hands on a copy of game two of the 2000 NLCS. I wanted it because A) I didn't have it, and B) I wondered if Ankiel's performance was as awful as I remembered, or still as hard to watch as available descriptions of it made it sound. I desperately wanted to see again, but all my internet scouring was in vain. He didn't get it.įor years, this game was my white whale. LaRussa had little choice but to run Ankiel out as his NLCS game two starter, cross his fingers, and hope for the best. Unfortunately, the injury to Stephenson prevented any thought of subbing for Ankiel in the playoff rotation. After the Cardinals hung six runs on Greg Maddux (aided by some weird errors), Ankiel allowed the Braves to crawl back into the game with a bout of wildness that resulted in five wild pitches in a single inning, a dubious mark no pitcher had ever achieved.įortunately for the Cardinals, they won anyway, 7-5, and cruised to a series win. He did have a flair for wildness, issuing 90 walks and unleashing 12 wild pitches during the regular season, but no one could have imagined what happened during that game. With a plus-fastball and a devastating curveball, Ankiel's stuff drew comparisons to Sandy Koufax, and at the time that comparison it didn't seem complete blasphemy.Īnkiel had earned enough trust with Tony LaRussa to draw the game one start in the division series against Atlanta, beating out the much more experienced Darryl Kile for that honor. It's hard to remember just how good Ankiel was when he first came up, and just how much promise fans saw in him. Starter Garrett Stephenson was also dealing with an injury, which just served to exacerbate concerns about their rookie lefthander Rick Ankiel. A freak injury involving a hunting knife knocked out regular catcher Mike Matheny, and Mark McGwire's knee issues limited him to pinch hitting duty. Which is not to say they didn't have issues. In the 2000 playoffs, while the Mets were dispatching of the Giants in four games, the Cardinals rolled right over the mighty Braves, sweeping them while barely breaking a sweat. However, I wonder if Ankiel would really want to come to the Mets, because it was against the Mets that the first phase of his career, for all intents and purposes, ended. Not a bad option as a lefty bat-not a great one, but not a bad one either. As such, within the last few days, rumors have rumbled that they may have interest in outfielder Rick Ankiel. The Mets' rather quiet offseason has reached the spare parts phase, and one thing they still lack (that they can afford, anyway) is a lefty bat off the bench.
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