Almost every player gets injured at some point during their career, but the most hungry players fight the injury, work super hard, and get back into the team with a bang! On the other hand, there are players who either don’t have the fight, or have suffered from a truly debilitating injury, are they unable to gain their previous form after their comeback. In this baseball scoreboards feature, I have taken a look at 4 players who were brilliant prior to getting injured, but who have lost their momentum after an injury. Sad but true.
4. J R Richard
J R Richard was very well known for his fastball velocity. He was at his prime in late 70s as he won 74 games and there was nothing that could stop him. The baseball scoreboards showed that he struck more than 300 hitters every season and was playing incredibly well, when suddenly in 1980 he suffered a stroke during a throwing session. He was immediately rushed to the hospital and was not expected to return. In 1981, he played a few games but his performances were never the same, and his career petered out.
3. Dizzy Dean
One of the best pitchers in the history of baseball, he won 130 games in a span of 5 years i.e. from 1932-1937, and he was known for entertaining his teammates with his amazing sense of humor! Just when his career was at its peak he got injured. In 1937, in an all star game he was hit on the toe by a line drive. When he was told that he has got injured he replied, “Fractured hell, the dang thing is broke!” But after returning from his injury he wasn’t the same at all. He had lost the fire he had in him and after being traded to other clubs he was unable to perform again to his previous standard.
2. Mark Fidrych
Nicknamed ‘The Bird’, he came and he conquered! Mark was one of the best players the Detroit Tigers ever had. He was superb in his rookie season and went on to win the Rookie of the year award. He accomplished a lot in a few years, but in 1977, he lost his baseballing mojo due to injury. Mark suffered from a knee injury during a training session. He then changed his delivery slightly but this hurt his arm. He played for a few more years but was never the same Mark as he was in his rookie season.
1. Bo Jackson
Bo Jackson was one of the best players in Major League Baseball. He was as fast as anyone could be and had great power as a batter. In 1990 he badly injured his hip, when during the play offs he was tackled by a Cincinnati Bengals’ player, Kevin Walker. The injury was so serious that nobody ever thought that Bo would come back. However, he returned in 1993. He still had the power in him but unfortunately he had lost his amazing speed. He retired during the 1994 infamous players’ strike.
For more information on Bo Jackson, go to:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bo_Jackson