Adam Wainwright leaves game with left ankle injury suffered while batting

St. Louis Cardinals fans everywhere are holding their breath Saturday night after ace Adam Wainwright was helped off the field at Miller Park with a lower leg injury.

Wainwright suffered the injury while batting in the fifth inning. As Wainwright skied a popup on the infield, his left ankle twisted in the box. He then planted his left leg to run, but came up immediately hobbled.

Upon first look, it was difficult to tell which leg Wainwright was favoring or what the injury might be. Obviously, there's always concern about the knee or the Achilles tendon on such plays. The replay points directly to the ankle, and as of right now that's how the Cardinals are labeling it.

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Obviously, we'll have updates as they become available. The Cardinals won't be flying home until early Sunday evening after their series in Milwaukee wraps, so the earliest we'll probably hear something is Monday. That is, unless the Cardinals know something they're not willing to say tonight, but there's no reason to believe that's the case.

Regardless of the extent of the injury, which obviously we all hope isn't severe, those in favor of a universal DH have some added ammunition.

Of course, when there's injury, there's also opportunity. In this instance, Wainwright was relieved by 29-year-old rookie right-hander Mitch Harris, who was making his major-league debut.

Harris isn't just any rookie though. With his appearance on Saturday, he became the first graduate from the United States Navy Academy to appear in a major-league game since 1921 when Nemo Gaines, also a pitcher, debuted and appeared in four games for the Washington Senators.

It's a remarkable story, and considering the difficult circumstances Harris' debut went well. Especially the first batter.

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Overall, Harris allowed two hits and walked two in an inning and one-third. The Cardinals went on to win 5-3. The victory was credit to Matt Belisle, which was up to the official scorer's discretion since Wainwright didn't qualify for the victory.

Obviously, this wasn't the way Harris envisioned making his debut. Watching the ace and one of the team's leaders walk away in that condition sends a jolt through everybody. Harris had a job to do though, and he obviously showed the poise necessary to pitch in the big leagues, But that shouldn't be too surprising considering he had the courage to serve five years in the U.S. Navy.

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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813