Mark Mulder hasn’t pitched in the major leagues since 2008. The one-time Oakland Athletics ace, and St. Louis Cardinals starter decided to retire after a series of left shoulder injuries limited him to just six games (four starts) in the 2007 and 2008 seasons combined. However the pitcher turned ESPN personality decided to make a comeback this off-season, getting in shape and eventually signing a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
That comeback attempt now appears to be in serious jeopardy of being over before it could even get off the ground. Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times reports that Mulder ruptured his Achilles tendon doing agility drills before a bullpen session.
The Angels have not confirmed the report, and are sending Mulder for an MRI. They do not anticipate having the full results until Monday.
For his part, Mulder seems to be taking the news about as well as anyone could expect. It must be heartbreaking for him to see his career derailed by a freak injury once again.
I can handle this. But seeing my son in tears when he saw me in a boot and crutches and I told him I wasn’t going to pitch. That was tough.
— Mark Mulder (@markmulder20) February 15, 2014
However if the DiGiovanna report is true, this would be a potentially career ending injury. As we have seen with a number of athletes who have had this injury, it is a serious one, and the road through surgery and rehabilitation is long. For the 36-year-old Mulder, who hasn’t pitched regularly in the majors in eight years, or at all for six years, one has to wonder if this truly is the end of the line.
Mulder has a career record of 103-60 with a 4.18 ERA and 1.34 WHIP in his nine major league seasons with the Oakland Athletics and St. Louis Cardinals.
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