At AT&T Park on Wednesday, the San Francisco Giants played host to the Florida Marlins in game 2 of a 3 game set where they found themselves in an extra inning affair. Down 6 to 2 in the ninth inning, the defending World Champion Giants rallied to tie the game on a 2-run double by first baseman Aubrey Huff. Despite their valiant effort and late game heroics, San Francisco would go on to lose the game by a final score of 7-6 in extra innings. However, the Giants would lose much more than the game as last year's reigning Rookie of the Year Buster Posey was on the receiving end of a home plate collision.
With one out in the 12th inning and the game tied at 6, Emilio Bonifacio stepped up to the dish with Marlins outfielder Scott Cousins on third base. Bonifacio hit a sacrifice fly to shallow right field as Cousins broke for home, bulldozing the defenseless Posey to score the go-ahead run. Immediately following the hit, Posey was seen grimacing with pain and clawing the dirt as team trainers and medical personnel rushed to the scene. After a stoppage of play, the 24 year old Posey was helped off the field and taken to the Giants clubhouse where he was given further evaluation. After receiving x-rays, MRI's revealed torn ligaments in Posey's left ankle and a broken bone in his lower left leg. While his fractured fibula should heal normally according to Giants head athletic trainer Dave Groeschner, his ankle would require season ending surgery, putting the Giants' chances of winning back-to-back titles in jeopardy.
In what is still referred to as being relatively young into the season, the Giants have already had their fair share of injuries as Barry Zito, Pablo Sandoval, Mark DeRosa, Aaron Rowand, Andres Torres and Cody Ross among others have all served time on the bench or on the disabled list. However, no absence is greater than Posey's who not only takes on the daunting task of batting cleanup, but also having to catch an All-Star cast of pitchers that currently owns the fourth best ERA in the Majors (3.23). Both are traits of Posey's which helped play a key role in San Francisco's recent success.
Highly regarded as one of the best young catchers in all of baseball, it'll be nearly impossible for the Giants to acquire someone to fill the shoes of Posey given how irreplaceable he is. But that won't prevent Giants general manager Brian Sabean to consider a possible trade if San Francisco's backup catcher Eli Whiteside continues to struggle at the plate. Though nothing is set in stone, all signs point to a possible trade for Washington's Ivan Rodriguez if need be. The injury of their most important position player who was currently riding a 13 game hitting streak, comes at a pivotal time as the Arizona Diamondbacks who have been somewhat under the radar, have crept up from behind in the standings threatening to take over first place in the division.
Though it was just an unfortunate event, nobody feels worse about the incident than Marlins outfielder Scott Cousins, an alum of the University of San Francisco who says he feels bad Posey was hurt and that the Giants are his team. Since the incident, Cousins has called the team twice to send his apologies. Having started in 41 of the Giants' first 48 games this season, Posey has also gotten a beating behind home plate after taking a number of foul balls off the mask. And whether or not you agree, the most recent ailment regarding one of the Giants' most prized possessions has only added fuel to the discussion of if the organization should consider moving Posey to another position to avoid a similar incident from occurring. After all, their most fragile position player is at the most vulnerable of positions.
While neither Posey nor his teammates called Cousins' hit dirty, shades of Ray Fosse and Pete Rose in the 1970 All-Star Game come to mind. If a change in Posey's position isn't made, perhaps there will be a change made elsewhere like in the rule book. Although it's happened before, some think the most recent incident could result in a rule change banning catchers to block the plate. Posey's agent and Giants skipper Bruce Bochy certainly think so and are lobbying for a rule change concerning collisions. "I think this probably needs to be addressed," said Bochy who knows a little bit about catching having served 10 seasons in the Big Leagues behind home plate. With Posey sidelined for the rest of the season, the Giants who have been struggling before the injury, will need someone else to step up offensively. The one question us Giants fans are pondering, is who will it be?
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