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Rick Ankiel reveals ending to upcoming movie about his incredible story
The former pitcher/slugger visited the Opening Drive this week to discuss it.
Sometimes, a person or event is so incredible that it should be made into a movie. Every once in a while, it does end up being made into a movie. There’s nothing like a golden sports tale; compelling true events that gain cinema dust over time. The story of Rick Ankiel is as cinematic as any baseball tale. Chock full of resilience and defiance, his rise-fall-rise tale deserves some Hollywood seasoning.
Few St. Louis Cardinals fans from the past few decades can forget a hot summer night back in 2007 when a new hitter walked to the plate and smacked his first career homer… as a position player. This wasn’t your normal hitter scratching around for his first hit in the bigs, but it was a noteworthy appearance for a fallen star. A return of promise. Also, it’s one of the few times Tony La Russa had a big, fat smile on his face in a dugout.
Rick Ankiel came into the big leagues with the expectations of a rotation ace, and little else was going to be accepted. You rise, fall, or become completely forgotten. It all started pretty well, with a pure 12-to-6 curveball and a fastball in the mid-90s throwing hitters off and bedeviling others. In a span of a few playoff innings and several wild pitches in October of 2000, though, Ankiel’s pitching prospects slowly came undone. The wild streak became as unstoppable as his stuff was previously unhittable, causing the Cardinals and Ankiel to consider alternate routes.
In all of my years working the manual scoreboard at old Busch, it hasn’t been as quiet as it was during that October postseason matchup between the Braves and Cardinals. Whether it was the pressure of a showdown with Greg Maddux or a combination of mental breaks, Ankiel couldn’t find the plate. The stadium went from loud and engaged to silent and wondering how to react. None of us knew what was happening.
The following start against the Mets was the funeral, with Ankiel’s wildness sticking close as a hushed Busch crowd once again became a house of crickets. The bottom of the first inning on the Cards game section of the board gave someone a bird’s eye view of homeplate if they were sitting on a stoop, and that’s where it was. He couldn’t find a way out of it.
As Ankiel explained to Randy Karraker, Brooke Grimsley, and Dan McLaughlin on Tuesday morning’s segment, Ankiel would show up to bullpen sessions early and try to work on his control without camera attention or fan fodder. A season of work became seasons, and perhaps the end of his run as a major leaguer would end prematurely.
But there was always the idea that Ankiel was always able to hit, and hit for power. He wasn’t a normal hitting pitcher, even during his throwing days. Heck, in 2000 as a starting pitcher, he hit two home runs and had 17 total hits in 73 plate appearances as a starting pitcher. Karraker recounted a story from one of Ankiel’s managers saying he was the best player on the team no matter if he was pitching or playing a position.
Suddenly, a possibility became a reality as Ankiel started cranking home runs out at a high rate in the minors. After being unable to throw enough strikes in Johnson City, he switched sides and was blasting the ball everywhere. Opposing players were most likely in disbelief. Opposing pitchers had a jealous bone or two. That’s because what Ankiel was able to accomplish in his MLB career as a hitter, following that failed venture as a pitcher, is remarkably rare.
How many other times have you heard of a pitcher becoming a position player and succeeding? Babe Ruth was one of the first guys to do it, so Ankiel would eventually share some history shelf space with the Babe. The comeback didn’t just last a few weeks or one season. He was a respectable power bat who hit over 20 homers in a season. In seven seasons, he’d crack 76 homers and 101 doubles. He slugged .424 during his career as a position player, which is incredible when you consider the entire journey.
Most of the time, an incredible story deserves that Hollywood treatment. Kurt Warner’s story was successfully turned into a movie a few years back, and his was a diamond tale in its own right. According to Ankiel, there is a script being written that will become a movie.
It’s rare for a guy to spoil the ending of his legendary tale, but we’ll let Ankiel get away with it because it’s so celebrated. He did share that his first game back, the hot Aug. 2007 night where he played outfield and hit a home run off the San Diego Padres, will be the end point of the script. A perfect mark to stamp a true life sports tale that only gets more incredible with time. He cracks that homer, circles the bases, and officially lands at home plate as a changed player.
Here’s another thing. Ankiel was fooled on the pitch, and still went down to get it and launch it into the right field bleachers.
Ankiel will be in town this weekend to participate in a HR derby with local radio stations. He should hit a few, showing off that all or nothing sweet lefthanded stroke. Those kinds of swings never get too old to watch.
Amazing stories rarely age either.
Dream:
Perhaps my all time favorite Cardinal. We were indeed on the Board when he melted down; unbelievable. Though a meltdown was probably inevitable eventually, LaRusso totally screwed up starting him in first game.
That season he was as good as Sandy Koufax; hitters had no chance.
His comeback as a position player is indeed movie worthy. Who will ever forget his first at bat when he came back and who can ever forget his many incredible throws from deep in the outfield; certainly not the astonished runners tagged out trying to advance.
Only Babe Ruth did what Rick Ankiel did that I can remember. But for a knee injury, I believe he could have made the Hall of Fame.
Carlin Dead but remembering a Great One
Great article, Dream. Ankiel will always be one of my Cardinals. I’d also recommend his book if you haven’t read it.