Missouri State’s Blake Graham went down with what appears to be a serious injury during the team’s NCAA Tournament game against Arkansas on Monday evening.
And the way it happened was very bizarre.
Graham swung and missed to strike out, and the swing itself looked pretty normal. But on the follow-through with his back leg planted, Graham suddenly collapsed to the ground in excruciating pain.
Warning: These videos are a tough watch, both with Graham’s awkward collapse and the serious pain he’s in.
Awful. I really can’t remember seeing an injury like that — at least such a painful one — after the swing is basically complete.
And here’s what’s especially incredible: Graham apparently suffered an injury on a swing just like this earlier in the season.
Springfield News-Leader’s Jim Connell explains how Graham suffered a torn medial patellofemoral ligament and dislocated kneecap on a swing in February:
In the fourth inning of an eventual 5-0 Bears’ victory over Middle Tennessee on Feb. 26, Graham swung and missed at a pitch. He thought he hit himself in the left knee with his backswing, or maybe the catcher reached out from his crouch and made contact with the back of his knee.
It wasn’t nearly that simple – as his leg kept rotating with the swing, Graham’s foot caught in the dirt in the batter’s box. The result was a torn medial patellofemoral ligament, and a dislocated kneecap.
Amazing, and incredibly unlucky. Those injuries were feared to be season-ending for the senior outfielder, but he was able to return just 17 games later.
Let’s hope the newest injury (or injuries) isn’t severe, but it certainly didn’t look good.
[ESPNU; Springfield News-Leader]
