For those of you who didn't watch the game, Rick Ankiel collided with the wall in left centerfield in an unfortunate stumble making a spectacular catch. Ankiel ran full out for a ball hit toward the LF-CF gap. He made the catch, stumbled, lost his footing and crashed head first (his hands never touched the wall) only to crumple on the ground. He moved his hands and feet immediately after the play but then remained still for a good 5-10 minutes while the training staff came out and left on a stretcher.
Rick Hummel has a brief exerpt on the situation.
The catch was masterful in a way that I haven't seen since the time of JEdmonds. The entire stadium let out a collective groan when he hit the wall. As they showed replays on some TVs located sporadically throughout the stadium (never on the big screen), pockets of individuals would cringe and gasp. It was painful to watch.
Obviously, we all hope that Rick is OK and that there is no serious injury. The outcome of the game (a 6-1 loss) is secondary to what happened to our starter on the field. It's one of those times that the player IS bigger than the game, if in a tragic sense.
Get well soon, Ank. Cardinal Nation sends its collective well wishes.