“It’s something in my ankle, I’m not sure what,’’ Beckett told reporters yesterday in Toronto. “It’s always concerning. That’s my power leg. With the way I pitch, I don’t think I can cut my leg off. It’s definitely stiff.’’
Gulp.
Let us pray.
An overreaction? Perhaps, though it would be one thing if Beckett rolled his ankle yesterday while, say, covering first base on a ground ball to the right side. Then we would know what the issue is. But the fact this happened on a simple delivery to home plate suggests something far more worrisome, particularly when Beckett said his ankle felt like it was “locked up” and then “popped in and out of the socket or something.”
Paranoia? Hypochondria? Maybe so. But Schilling described a similar sensation years ago, stressing that he felt instability and weakness in his ankle more than he felt pain.
Regardless, we all know what is at stake here. As good as the Red Sox lineup has been this season, Boston’s chances at a third world title in an eight-year span were built just as much on the team’s starting rotation. Coming into the year, the Sox had nearly one-third of their record payroll (or about $57 million in luxury tax and posting fee dollars) committed to Beckett, John Lester, John Lackey, Clay Buchholz, and Daisuke Matsuzaka. Matsuzaka bit the dust months ago and Buchholz has since tumbled with him, realities that promoted the Sox to pull the trigger on a deadline deal for Erik Bedard.
Oh, right. Did we mention that Bedard will be skipping a start to rest a balky knee? And remember that the Red Sox secured him only after pulling out of a deal for Rich Harden because of concern over the chronically ailing Harden’s health.
Yeesh.
