A Seton Hall University baseball player went from elation to misery in a matter of seconds during a Friday, February 13, ballgame in Puerto Rico.
After hitting a two-run home run to give his team the lead during the fifth inning of the season-opening contest at the Puerto Rico Challenge, Justin Ford suffered a gruesome ankle injury while rounding the bases.
He made his way around first base, turning to his teammates in the dugout and jumping up and down in celebration when his ankle seemingly folded underneath him. The junior left fielder was left laying on the field, writhing in pain.
A pinch runner came into the game to take his place and score the run.
“Ford injured himself while rounding the bases,” Seton Hall’s baseball Twitter account said in a post. “Please join us in sending Justin best wishes and a speedy recovery.”
The moment quickly went viral on social media, not only due to the grotesque and unusual nature of the injury but also because fans noticed a few fumbles in the Victory+ broadcast that was airing the game.
The announcers misidentified Ford during the broadcast, then said he would be ruled out and the runs would not count if he didn’t finish rounding the bases (The runner is allowed to be replaced in the event of an injury.)
To add insult to literal injury, the broadcast showed replays of Ford’s ankle bending in ways ankles shouldn’t bend — in slow motion — which some users on social media did not appreciate.
“Guys I don’t need to see that seton hall baseball guys leg explode again…please stop quote tweeting it thanks,” posted one user.
Other social media users sent their well wishes to Ford as he begins his road to recovery.
“Oh, mercy. That poor young man from Seton Hall. Justin Ford. 🫣” said a user.
“prayers for Justin Ford man,” wrote another. “never seen anything like this in baseball.”
Sports medicine doctor Brian Sutterer — who recently commented on Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn’s ACL injury — posted a nearly seven-minute video breaking down the injury and its possible implications. (Sutterer is not part of Ford’s medical team nor does he have insight into Ford’s medical history.)
“One of the most unusual sports injuries I’ve ever seen,” Sutterer said in the video, posted to his YouTube account. “What we saw happen here with Justin Ford … is a very, very unusual injury at such a low force and an a-typical mechanism.”
Sutterer goes on to give a frame-by-frame breakdown of the injury, comparing the situation to Kevin Ware’s injury from 2013, when the Louisville basketball player suffered a compound fracture after landing awkwardly on his leg while competing in a game during March Madness.
As of Saturday, there’s been no official update on Ford’s condition, but after Sutterer finished his breakdown he predicted Ford will be out for the rest of the season.
Ford played 17 games with Seton Hall last season, recording 14 hits and seven RBI with a .171 batting average.
His senior year of high school baseball saw him hit .638 with 20 RBI, and he earned a selection to the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference First Team in 2022 and 2023.
