Alex Bregman's brutal injury reminds Cardinals fans of the misfortune that befell Juan Encarnación

The Chicago Cubs are about to clinch a postseason berth, but they may have just suffered a roster casualty while working toward that goal. Alex Bregman, the Cubs' starting third baseman, was the victim of a nasty injury when a foul ball struck him near the left eye while he stood on the on-deck circle. For St. Louis Cardinals fans, the scene may have hit far too close to home.

Juan Encarnación entered 2007 as the Cardinals' starting right fielder. On Aug. 31, he was hitting .283 with a .769 OPS. That day, as he was taking his practice hacks while waiting for his turn to bat, a foul ball from Aaron Miles struck Encarnación near his left eye, shattering his orbital bone, fracturing the eye socket in several places, and leaving him with a concussion.

The Cardinals' medical director at the time, George Paletta, said the injury was "the worst trauma I've ever seen," and indeed, Encarnación lost a significant amount of vision in his left eye and would never play baseball again.

The 2000s and 2010s were exciting decades to be a Cardinals fan, but that doesn't mean that the Cardinals weren't subjected to their share of obstacles. Along with Encarnación's injury, the deaths of highly touted prospect Oscar Taveras, strong starting pitcher Darryl Kile and relief pitcher Josh Hancock were tragic events that shook the organization and, in the case of Taveras, may have accelerated the franchise's decline.

In another instance, Rick Ankiel's sudden loss of control doomed his incredibly promising pitching career, although several years later, he emerged as a solid outfielder with a cannon arm. Ironically enough, Ankiel's resurgence had been pushing Encarnación out of the starting role when the career-ending event took place.

Cardinals fans should provide some empathy toward Cubs fans during this uncertain period

As of this writing, Bregman's prognosis is unknown, although one positive aspect is that the ball took a bounce before it struck Bregman, which likely means that the ball didn't hit him at the same speed in which it nailed an unsuspecting Encarnación 19 years earlier. But even if Bregman ends up only missing a few games, Cardinals fans should remember the worry that swamped over the fanbase after Encarnación's injury and not celebrate what could turn out to be a significant problem for Bregman now and in the future.

As cheesy as it sounds, some parts of baseball really are bigger than the game itself. Although today's types of social media weren't as prominent when Encarnción's injury took place, Cardinals fans surely wouldn't have taken kindly to online Cubs supporters jeering over the outfielder as he lay in a daze on the on-deck circle. Think what you will about the Cubs and Bregman, but if Cardinals fans want to continue to earn their "best fans in baseball" stripes, they'll hope for the best for Bregman and his future in baseball. After all, Cardinals fans have been in this position before.

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