Dodger players were ecstatic after Josh Beckett threw his no-hitter on Sunday against the Philadelphia Phillies, but unfortunately catcher A.J. Ellis’s celebration resulted in a 15 day trip to the disabled list when he sprained his right ankle.
Ellis who did not catch Beckett’s “no-no,” the 24th in Dodger history and the first since Hideo Nomo pitched one in 1996, ran on to the field jumping up and down and landed on the discarded catcher’s mask of Drew Butera. “My right foot landed right on top of it and rolled it pretty good,” Ellis explained. “I knew right away that it was more significant than other ankle rolls I’ve had in the past. I’m beyond frustrated.”
It’s been a tough year for Ellis, having just come off the DL two weeks ago after being on it for over a month due to a surgery on his left knee. Fortunately, the beleaguered catcher did not reinjure the knee as X-rays proved negative. According to ESPN LA, Ellis is batting .170 in the 15 games he has played in 2014.
Of course for Southern California baseball fans all this seems way to familiar. In 2010 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim’s slugger Kendry Morales severely broke his leg while celebrating a winning grand slam against the Seattle Mariners and was lost for the season.
As far as Josh Beckett is concerned, he is feeling good after his historic day on Sunday. He remarked about his throwing arm, “It’s pretty normal, like I got hit by a truck. That’s pretty common the day after. Certainly when I was younger I felt a little bit better than I do coming out of a start now.”
The no-hitter was the the first for Beckett and is a certain highlight for a storied career that many critics predicted was over. Beckett admitted he too has had concerns about his future after he underwent surgery in July to have a rib removed because of a malady known as thoracic outlet syndrome. “I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was thinking that it could have been over as well,” Beckett said.
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