Where J.D. Martinez’s bizarre ankle sprain before AL Wild Card Game sits among weirdest sports injuries

The MLB postseason is about to get underway, but the Boston Red Sox are going to be shorthanded for their AL Wild Card Game matchup against the New York Yankees. Red Sox outfielder J.D. Martinez suffered a strange injury after tripping over second base while running to his position in the outfield during the final series of the regular season and has been left off the roster for the American League Wild Card Game.

While the injury is certainly peculiar, it’s not the strangest one that the sports world has seen over the years. Here are some of the more wild and bizarre injuries that athletes have suffered.

J.D. Martinez

• Injury: Ankle sprain
• How it happened: The Boston Red Sox outfielder was running out to the outfield in the fifth inning and tripped over second base. Martinez did remain in the game through the half inning, but Jose Iglesias pinch hit for Martinez in the top of the sixth inning. 

Rickey Henderson

• Injury: Frostbite
• How it happened: The all-time steals leader was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays during the 1993 season and didn’t make the greatest impression on his new team. Henderson fell asleep on an ice pack on his foot and contracted frostbite.

Marty Cordova

• Injury: Burns on face
• How it happened: The Baltimore Orioles outfielder couldn’t get enough sunlight while he was on the field during the 2002 season, so he went tanning. But Cordova fell asleep in a tanning bed and burnt his face, which caused Baltimore to hold him out of the lineup for a few days.

Kendrys Morales

• Injury: Lower left leg fracture
• How it happened: While playing for the Los Angeles Angels, Morales broke a 1-1 tie with the Seattle Mariners courtesy of a walk-off grand slam. When Morales rounded the bases, he attempted to jump onto home plate and the celebration went horribly wrong. Morales broke his leg and missed the remainder of the 2010 season.

Jason Pierre-Paul

• Injury: Severe burns on hand
• How it happened: Pierre-Paul made one of the bigger injury blunders that has been seen. On July 4, 2015, the New York Giants pass rusher suffered a hand injury while setting off fireworks and later had to have his index finger amputated. During the 2015 NFL season, Pierre-Paul was forced to play with a padded club that did affect his play as he only tallied one sack that season.

Sammy Sosa

• Injury: Sprained ligament in lower back
• How it happened: Sosa was one of the most prolific home run hitters of the 1990s and 2000s. However, Sosa suffered a very strange injury in 2004 when he was a member of the Chicago Cubs. Sosa sneezed in the locker room of Petco Park and the sneeze was so painful that he landed on the disabled list. 

Gus Frerotte

• Injury: Sprained neck
• How it happened: Frerotte was having a Pro Bowl season in 1996 for the Washington Redskins, but this injury made no sense whatsoever. The veteran signal caller slammed his head into a padded cement wall following a rushing touchdown against the New York Giants.

Bill Gramatica

• Injury: Torn ACL
• How it happened: A torn ACL is a very common injury these days, especially in the NFL. However, it rarely happens the way that Gramatica suffered the injury. Gramatica connected on a 42-yard field goal against the New York Giants, but he suffered a torn ACL when he jumped in celebration and landed awkwardly.

Ryan Madson

• Injury: Broken toe
• How it happened: During the 2010 season, the Philadelphia Phillies reliever blew a save against the San Francisco Giants and let’s just say he got frustrated. Madson went to the locker room and kicked a chair in anger. It was later revealed that Madson broke his toe and was forced to have surgery for the injury.

Trevor Bauer

• Injury: Sliced pinky finger
• How it happened: Bauer was slated to start Game 2 of the American League Championship Series against the Toronto Blue Jays, but his start had to be pushed back to Game 3. Why? Because Bauer sliced his pinky finger while he was attempting to fix his drone and the propellers began turning.

Matt Bonner

• Injury: Tennis elbow
• How it happened: Bonner was known as one of the better shooters in the NBA back in 2015, but shot just 36.5 percent that season, which is well below his career average. The veteran big man suffered from tennis elbow and claimed that it was from getting adjusted to his new, larger iPhone 6.

Milton Bradley

• Injury: Torn ACL
• How it happened: The veteran outfielder was arguing with an umpire during a game on Sept. 23, 2007. He tore his ACL while San Diego Padres manager Bud Black was attempting to hold him back from making contact with the umpire.

Plaxico Burress

• Injury: Self-inflicted gunshot wound
• How it happened: Burress helped the New York Giants win Super Bowl XLII, but will probably always be known for this blunder off the field. While in a New York City nightclub in 2008, Burress suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his right thigh after his gun slid down his pants and went off.

Joel Zumaya

• Injury: Wrist inflammation
• How it happened: Zumaya missed the majority of the 2006 American League Championship Series against the Oakland Athletics due to wrist inflammation. The reason for the injury? Zumaya played too much Guitar Hero, which was popular at the time. In a later interview, Zumaya claimed that Guitar Hero didn’t cause the injury, but wouldn’t divulge how he actually suffered it.

Glenallen Hill

• Injury: Bruising on legs, feet, and elbows
• How it happened: Hill suffers from arachnophobia and was being chased by spiders in a dream he was having. He ended up running through his house in the middle of the night to escape the imaginary spiders and crashed through a glass table, which landed him on the disabled list.

Darius Vassell

• Injury: Infected toe
• How it happened: The English soccer player was attempting to pop a blister with a power drill in order to relieve the pressure. However, his toe became infected toe due to his… questionable method.

Dustin Penner

• Injury: Back spasms
• How it happened: The Los Angeles Kings right wing was just trying to enjoy some pancakes when his back locked up in 2012. He only missed one game due to the bizarre injury.