Inductees

At the dawn of Rick Ankiel’s Comeback Tour in 2005, with his once promising pitching career shelved and his bat and outfielder’s glove dusted off, uncertainty was a natural narrative.

But not for his soon-to-be manager of the St. Louis Cardinals’ Double-A Springfield club. Said Chris Maloney, who had readied Ankiel’s pitching prowess at the same level in 1999, “There’s nothing on the baseball field he can’t do.”

Sure enough, in his first official game as a position player, Ankiel threw a bullet from center field to third base and eliminated an overzealous baserunner, thus kick-starting a second career of webgems, home runs and – most rewarding of all – curtain calls as he extended his career another nine seasons.

Now one of the most intriguing athletes ever to walk across the sports page is an inductee of the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, honored with the Class of 2018.

In Ankiel, the Hall of Fame is welcoming an 11-game winner and National League Rookie of the Year runner-up on St. Louis’ 2000 playoff team and who, in 2008, made improbable history as a position player. That year, Ankiel joined Babe Ruth as the only players in a MLB single season to hit at least 25 home runs after previously starting at least 25 games as a pitcher.

In other words, Ankiel authored an inspiring comeback story after his phenomenal pitching career combusted in the 2000 playoffs, and then literally became an author. You might have caught his 2017 autobiography titled The Phenomenon: Pressure, The Yips, and the Pitch that Changed My Life.

“Since the book’s release, I’ve had a ton of people say that is was inspirational,” said Ankiel, who spent 17 years in pro ball, including 12 in the Cardinals organization. “I had a gentleman say that he grew up in a similar situation and the book helped him connect the dots in his life. When I hear things like that it feels great knowing I’ve been able to help someone else.”

These days, Ankiel gives back to the game, providing baseball lessons and serving as an analyst on Fox Sports Midwest’s Cardinals postgame shows.

At times, he wonders what might have been, saying, “I could have been one of the best.”

Fortunately, he has made his peace with the past.

Ankiel reached the big leagues in 1999 as a once-in-a-generation pitcher – and all of 20 years old. There he was, a rare left-hander with a fastball buzzing in at 98 mph, a power sinker and a curveball that seemed drawn for a Bugs Bunny cartoon. When Mark McGwire nicknamed the curveball “The Snap Dragon,” fans nodded.

Which was why fans quietly pulled for him years after Ankiel combusted in the 2000 playoffs, when he was unable to throw anything close to the strike zone. It first happened against the Atlanta Braves in the Division Series, then again against the New York Mets in the NLCS.

“The thing is, I threw a bullpen (a practice session) in between starts, and I was lights out,” Ankiel said.

Unfortunately, Ankiel never regained his form. He made only 11 big-league starts over the next four years and turned to hitting in 2005. Why didn’t he just walk away?

“I couldn’t,” Ankiel said. “I felt I didn’t have any other option. I had a fear of being average.”

He certainly wasn’t average. On his first night in Double-A, in late April 2005, Ankiel offered a glimpse of an encouraging future. From center field, he threw out a runner trying to go first to third.

“I don’t remember that,” Ankiel said, laughing. “At the time, I was so focused on being a good outfielder. I was just dialed in and trying to fine-tune my craft.”

Two years later, he cracked 32 home runs in Triple-A and returned to St. Louis on August 9, hitting a home run in his final at-bat. Two days later, Ankiel swatted two more.

In 2008, it was one highlight after another: He threw out two Colorado Rockies runners in a game at Coors Field and crushed a “splash hit” into McCovey Cove in San Francisco.

Ankiel played for four more clubs, including Kansas City, before retiring after 2013. He and his wife, Lory, make their home in Florida, but St. Louis is always near and dear to his heart.

“The game gave me so many opportunities, and it continues to,” Ankiel said. “And everything that comes with St. Louis and Cardinal Nation has always meant a lot to me.”