D-backs Game Preview, #8: 4/16 vs. Mets

Zac Gallen should have started the finale against Houston. Even that was later than it should have been, but his spring training got off to a slow start due to a mild case of shoulder bursitis. He did seem to get past that, but he was slotted into the final rotation slot, just to give him a few more days. But then, he suffered an unwarranted attack from a household appliance. Per Torey Lovullo, “It was just a freak household accident where he just pinched his finger, his thumb in an electrical box. Think it was spring-loaded, got him, just pinched the portion of his pad and his thumb and he’s healing day by day."

This certainly ranks among the odder injuries in team history. There have been a few others though. Last year, the team lost Jon Duplantier after a shaving-related accident. He apparently cut his finger trying to assemble his razor. Similarly, in 2013, Ian Kennedy missed a start after cutting his finger washing the dishes. Which seems like a very good way to get out of washing dishes to me. Back in 2019, Alex Avila had to go on the injured list with a strained left quadriceps, which he suffered while rounding the bases after a home run. I know he didn't hit THAT many during his time in Arizona, but you wouldn't think it would be such an unexpected event as to cause him to pull a muscle...

Then there was Shelby Miller, cutting his knuckles open on the ground with his follow through, early in 2016. We should have known... At least that was baseball related. However, the all-time championship must belong to pitcher Brian Anderson. He had a reputation for weird injuries, though he has gone on record as denying the story he missed a start due to wrapping his arm around a taxi headrest on his way to the ballpark. [Also likely apocryphal: Mark Grace breaking his toe while crossing the clubhouse to congratulate Damian Miller for making the All-Star team] But there's no such question about the #1 bizarre injury in Diamondbacks history. Let's just let Anderson tell the story:

“I was getting ready to iron a shirt. You know on the road some irons you plug in and have to turn on; some you plug in and they’re automatically on? There’ve been so many that I plugged in, would wait five minutes, go to use it and it would be one you had to flip on. So this one, I plugged in while watching the Indians play on ‘Sunday Night Baseball.’ I picked up the iron, held it to my face to feel the heat and was trying to look around the corner to watch the game. I just put my cheek right on it. It didn’t take much, and it fried the side of my face. What are you going to do?”

There is, however, no truth to the rumor that he burned the other side of his face, phoning for an ambulance...