RetroSimba

Juan Encarnacion was where he was supposed to be, but it was the wrong place at the wrong time.

In the on-deck circle at Busch Stadium, waiting to enter the game as a pinch-hitter for pitcher Randy Flores, Encarnacion was struck in the left eye by a foul ball lined off the bat of Cardinals teammate Aaron Miles.

Encarnacion had no time to react. The ball hit him with full force, shattering his eye socket and injuring the eye.

“If he was looking elsewhere and not paying attention, he might have gotten killed,” Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

The accident happened on Aug. 31, 2007, in a game between the Reds and Cardinals at St. Louis.

Encarnacion never would play baseball again.

Fear factor

Encarnacion entered the big leagues with the 1997 Tigers and went on to play for the Reds, Marlins and Dodgers. In January 2006, Encarnacion, a free agent, signed with the Cardinals. He became their starting right fielder and batted .278 with 19 home runs and 79 RBI for the 2006 World Series champions.

In 2007, Encarnacion hit .283 with nine home runs and 47 RBI. In August, the Cardinals called up Rick Ankiel from the minors and the former pitcher shared time with Encarnacion in right field.

Ankiel got the start in right for the Cardinals’ game versus the Reds on Aug. 31.

The Reds led, 4-3, when Miles led off the bottom half of the sixth. Batting from the right side, Miles swung at an outside pitch from left-hander Jon Coutlangus and lined it foul. The ball sliced over the first-base line and directly toward the on-deck circle.

When the ball struck Encarnacion, he collapsed onto the ground. La Russa was one of the first to reach him. “I’ve seen guys smoked in the dome (head), but not dead center,” La Russa told the Associated Press.

A stretcher was brought onto the field, but Encarnacion, who remained conscious, preferred to stand and was helped off the field by trainers and teammates.

“It’s about as bad as it gets as far as what you can see on a baseball field,” said Cardinals center fielder Jim Edmonds. “I think it’s everybody’s biggest fear.”

When the game resumed, Miles struck out. So Taguchi batted for Flores and the Reds replaced Coutlangus with Gary Majewski. Taguchi doubled, Brendan Ryan got an infield single and David Eckstein was hit by a pitch. Eddie Guardado relieved and the first batter he faced, Ankiel, hit a grand slam, giving the Cardinals a 7-4 lead. Boxscore

Thinking of others

Encarnacion was taken to a hospital. In addition to the shattered eye socket and eye injury _ it was thought damage had been done to the optic nerve _ Encarnacion suffered a concussion.

Said Dr. George Paletta, the Cardinals’ medical supervisor: “This is the worst trauma I’ve seen.”

After the game, several Cardinals players and personnel visited Encarnacion at the hospital. Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina, Joel Pineiro and Miles kept watch over Encarnacion that night.

“We’re all pulling for him,” Miles said. “Hoping for the best.”

Pujols told Post-Dispatch columnist Bernie Miklasz that Encarnacion was alert and responsive. “He was trying to make us feel better,” Pujols said. “He was making jokes. He was worn out, but he talked and was in pretty good spirits. He didn’t want anyone to feel sad.”

The next day, members of Encarnacion’s family arrived at the hospital from the Dominican Republic.

The Cardinals moved the on-deck circle to a spot a few feet farther from the dugout.

On Sept. 4, Encarnacion was released from the hospital. Two weeks later, he was driven to Boston to see an eye specialist. Surgery was scheduled to repair the eye socket fractures. A month later, it was determined Encarnacion had 20/400 vision in his left eye.

At 31, his playing days were done.

Previously: Why Cardinals were impressed by Juan Encarnacion