Update [2006-7-29 21:38:33 by dajafi]:Initial X-rays were negative, and the press-box announcement is contusion on the left leg. I'm not breathing a big sigh of relief yet, but I think my heart rate is at least slowing a little.
Okay. Phils leading 12-3 tonight in the bottom of the 7th, Cole Hamels matching his longest start of the season, with 99 pitches on the night. He comes up to bat. I think, "This ain't good. You protect your young stud starter here." But Hamels singles, the crowd cheers, and I figure the worst that will happen is he gets smacked around in the 8th, with my fantasy team ERA and WHIP suffering a bit.
It was much worse than that. Hamels began the inning by inducing a grounder to third--which newly installed everyday 3b Abraham Nunez fielded and then threw away for an error. Next guy, Dan Uggla, walked. Then Hamels recorded his seventh strikeout on the night, getting Alfredo Amezaga on a changeup. Joe Borchard came to the plate.
And he smashed a line drive off Cole Hamels' leg.
Hamels sat on the ground for a few minutes, then was slowly walked off, putting no pressure on his left leg, by trainer Jeff Cooper. He got a standing ovation from the crowd. He'd thrown 115 pitches. The Yahoo! boxscore reads "PHILADELPHIA PITCHER COLE HAMELS HAS LEFT THE GAME IN THE TOP OF THE EIGHTH INNING WITH AN APPARENT LEFT LEG INJURY AFTER BEING HIT BY A LINE DRIVE."
The Phillies have an EIGHT-MAN BULLPEN, mind you.
It's like a goddamn nightmare following this team.