Brewers relief pitcher Will Smith, a graduate of Northgate High School in Newnan, added his name to the list of players who suffered freaky, weird injuries.
Smith, 26, tore a ligament in his right knee Thursday. He learned Saturday of the damage. He awaits word from the Brewers' head team physician as to whether he needs surgery.
“It could be surgery or it could be just a rehab thing. We’re waiting on Dr. (William) Raasch to see me and let me know,” Smith said in an interview with Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
At the time, Smith was on crutches with his leg in an immobolizer, Haudricourt wrote.
Smith, a 6-foot-5, 265-pound left-hander, sustained the injury while taking off his shoe in the clubhouse.
“I was standing on one leg, trying to take the shoe off and I pulled hard and it stayed on. My knee just went up and popped,” Smith told the Journal-Sentinel.
Smith was scheduled to team with Jeremy Jeffress as co-closers for the Brewers. He has pitched four seasons in the majors, the past two for the Brewers. In those two seasons, he appeared in 154 games, pitching 129 innings with an ERA of 3.21.
"He's one of the elite relievers in baseball. He is," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said to Adam McCalvy, who covers the team for MLB.com. "I think his slider is one of the hardest pitches in the game to hit. … It's the comfort zone of knowing you can go to him in any situation."
Smith was ejected from a game against the Braves at Turner Field last season having an illegal substance on his right forearm. In a memorable moment, Smith cursed at the Braves dugout as he walked off the field in a 10-1 victory for the Braves.
In 2007, Smith helped lead Northgate to the quarterfinals of the state Class AAAA baseball playoffs, where they were eliminated by Marist.
Take a look at some Braves players from the past who have been affected by odd injuries.
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