Former Cardinal's one-of-a-kind career to be adapted for the silver screen

Former St. Louis Cardinals pitcher-turned-outfielder Rick Ankiel possesses one of the most inspiring stories of any player in baseball. Many fans are familiar with his emergence onto the scene as an immensely talented pitcher with a hammer curveball, only for him to disintegrate in Game One of the 2000 NLDS, losing control of all of his pitches. Ankiel was not able to find his pitching form again and was converted to an outfielder, after which he returned to the major leagues in 2007 and finished his career in 2013.

Ankiel has been open about his mental struggles that emerged from his bout with the yips, writing a book called "The Phenomenon" detailing his struggles and the overwhelming pressure that followed. Now Ankiel's story is in the early stages of becoming a movie. Ankiel appeared on the St. Louis-based radio show 101 ESPN on July 23 and dropped a few nuggets about the film, saying it is currently in the scriptwriting process and will end on his first home run upon returning to the major leagues as a position player.

That home run, one of Tony La Russa's favorite moments as a manager, cemented the victory for the Cardinals. But Ankiel's most famous plays came in the outfield against the Colorado Rockies, when he utilized the arm that formerly fired mid-90s fastballs from the mound to hose down two Rockies at third base from deep center field.

In 2018, five years after his retirement, Ankiel developed the itch to play baseball again and attempted another comeback — as a pitcher. Free from the maladies that had plagued him as a young fireballer, Ankiel might have been able to make it back to the major leagues at the age of 39 had he not blown out his arm and aborted the attempt in 2019.

If the movie about Ankiel's inspirational career receives the green light, his story will reach not only baseball fans, but people everywhere who are fighting through adversity. The story of one of the most triumphant comebacks in sports will conclude with a home run; let's hope the movie knocks it out of the park as well.