Mariano Rivera and the 15 Worst Fluke MLB Injuries of All Time

Baseball isn't typically considered to be as dangerous of a sport as its counterparts given its lower contact nature.

But as we once again saw last night with Mariano Rivera's torn ACL, fluke injuries can occur at any moment, whether you're shagging fly balls, standing in the on-deck circle or watching a game from the dugout.

As we'll see with the first few slides, a number of players have seen their careers hampered and even ended by injuries that aren't exactly "flukes", as pitchers get hit with liners occasionally and home-plate collisions are inevitably a part of the game.

Here are some of the stranger—and in some cases tragic—injuries that have taken place on the diamond.

**Tony Saunders**

On May 26, 1999, Tony Saunders took the mound with the Tampa Bay Rays to face the Texas Rangers.

Little did he know, it would be a day that would essentially end his career.

On a pitch to slugger Juan Gonzalez, he broke a bone in his arm, effectively ending his season. While attempting to make a comeback the next season, he broke his arm again and saw himself retiring at 26.

**Bryce Florie**

In what was a horrific sight for Red Sox fans watching, pitcher Bryce Florie took a line drive from Ryan Thompson of the New York Yankees.

He broke multiple bones in his face and sustained relatively serious damage to his eye socket.

He did make a brief comeback for the Red Sox the next season, but was released after just a handful of games.

**Buster Posey**

San Francisco Giants fans witnessed one of their future players last season as catcher Buster Posey led the team to a World Series championship.

They were expecting much of the same this season, as there were high expectations for continued success.

Those plans came to a screeching halt last May, as Buster Posey broke his leg during a home plate collision, ending his season.

**Ray Fosse**

The 1970 MLB All-Star game isn't remembered for who won the game, but rather how it ended.

With Pete Rose barreling towards home plate to score the winning run, only catcher Ray Fosse stood in his way. He wouldn't let him stop him as he plowed through Fosse to score the run.

The collision separated Fosse's shoulder, an injury that would linger throughout his career, as he wouldn't hit more than 12 home runs in any of the nine seasons he played after 1970 (he had 16 before the break that season).

**Mike Cameron and Carlos Beltran**

During a game in 2005, New York Mets teammates Carlos Beltran and Mike Cameron both charged at a fly ball.

They collided head first, and while both sustained injuries, Cameron got the worst of it as he fractured both cheekbones and broke his nose.

Juan Encarnacion

During a game in August of 2007, Juan Encarnacion was standing in the on-deck circle, waiting to take to the plate, when a foul ball off the bat of Aaron Miles hit him in the eye.

Team physician Dr. George Patella likened the injury to the disintegration of an egg shell and noted that it was one of the worst facial injuries he had ever seen.

Encarnacion fractured his eye socket and sustained nerve damage as a result and would miss the remainder of the 2007 season.

Jason Kendall

Early in catcher Jason Kendall's long career, he would suffer a gruesome injury that could very well have ended many players' careers.

Running out a bunt in a game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Kendall landed awkwardly on first base, dislocating his ankle. With a bone protruding from his body, teammates immediately knew the severity of the injury.

Doc Powers

Athletics catcher Doc Powers initially sustained his injury on April 12, 1909 while slamming into a wall as he chased after a foul ball.

Internal bleeding was just one of the internal issues that ensued, ultimately requiring Powers to undergo multiple surgeries that would end up coming up short as he would lose his life less than a month after the injury.

Tyler Colvin

A perfect example of how dangerous broken bats can be, Tyler Colvin suffered a punctured lung when a shattered bat flew up the third baseline as he ran towards home plate.

He missed the remainder of the 2010 season due to injuries sustained during the incident.

Tony Conigliaro

In August of 1967, Tony Conigliaro took a pitch from Jack Hamilton to the cheekbone and sustained a fractured cheekbone and dislocated jaw as well as eye damage.

He was taken off the field on a stretcher and his future was in question, but he would eventually make a strong comeback over a year later when he'd earn comeback Player of the Year honors.

Mickey Mantle

During Game 2 of the 1951 World Series, Mickey Mantle was coming in on a routine fly ball hit by Willie Mays when he stumbled over a sprinkler head, injuring his knee.

Coming in such a tight spot, the injury couldn't have come at a worse time. But its longterm consequences leave some wondering if one of the best Yankees to play the game could have been even better.

Mantle obviously went on to continue a great career after the injury, but his speed and agility were forever changed after sustaining the injury that he deemed being similar to a car suddenly losing the air in its tires.

Kendrys Morales

After hitting a walk-off grand slam off Brandon League to win a game against division rival Seattle, Kendrys Morales was on top of the world as he rounded the bases.

His joy would be short-lived, however, as he would awkwardly landed on home plate while attempting to stomp on it as his teammates awaited.

He ended up fracturing his leg and would require surgery, missing the remainder of the 2010 season.

Kirby Puckett

Kirby Puckett spent his entire career as a Minnesota Twin and is still remembered in the Twin Cities as a Twins legend.

His career took a turn for the worse during the last week of the 1995 season. During an at-bat, he took one of Dennis Martinez's fastballs to the face, sustaining a broken jaw and temporary eye damage.

It was during the following spring training when Puckett would awake one morning in late March without vision in one eye. He wouldn't play another game.

Ray Fosse

For Ray Fosse’s second entry in this slideshow, we head to a 1978 spring training game when he tripped in a hole on the first baseline.

He sustained damage to multiple ligaments that would need surgery to be repaired.

Bobby Valentine

On May 17, 1973, Bobby Valentine was making a play on a home run ball at Anaheim Stadium when he suffered an injury that would prove to alter his career forever.

As he jumped on the fence his spikes got caught in the chain links. The result, a multiple compound fracture that would cost him the rest of the season and slow him down for the remainder of his career.

Steve Yeager

During a 1976 Dodgers game, Steve Yeager was standing in the on-deck circle as Bill Russell took to the plate.

Russell took a strong swing and his bat broke into multiple pieces, some of which ended up in Yaeger's neck.

He was rushed to a local hospital where surgeons would remove nine fragments from the bat.

Luis Salazar

In a freak accident with lasting consequences, Atlanta Braves minor league manager Luis Salazar would fall victim to a foul ball off the bat of Brian McCann.

The sharp liner hit Salazar squarely in the eye and would ultimately cause him to have the eye removed.

Justin Morneau

Off to the best start to a season in his career, Justin Morneau may very well have been on his way to another MVP trophy in 2010 when his season was derailed just prior to the All-Star break.

In a collision sliding into second base that at first glance didn't appear to be serious, Morneau sustain a concussion that would cost him the remainder of the season due to lingering symptoms.

His 2011 season was marred with health problems as well and so far in 2012 he appears to be concussion free, but is dealing with a lingering wrist injury and hasn't been able to return to his prior form.

Josias Manzanillo

During the 1997 season, Seattle Mariners pitcher Josias Manzanillo would encounter a life-changing event.

A Manny Ramirez line drive would have its sights set on Manzanillo's groin area, causing the pitcher to have a testicle surgically removed.

Ray Chapman

In what was one of the most noteworthy incidents leading up to the outlawing of the spitball, Ray Chapman was beaned by a pitch from Yankees pitcher Carl Mays.

He was taken off the field and would later die from injuries sustained from the blow to his head. The very next season the league outlawed the spitball.