Mark Ellis' Injury Could Have Been A Heck Of A Lot Worse

Holy smokes, I saw Mark "Mellis" Ellis get injured during that game last week, but I had no idea that he was six hours or so away from amputation. From USA Today:

What seemed like a routine play – an infielder being upended turning a double play – nearly cost Los Angeles Dodgers' second baseman Mark Ellis his left leg over the weekend.

Ellis, 34, underwent emergency surgery Saturday to drain blood and other fluids that were affecting the leg's muscles, and manager Don Mattingly told the Los Angeles Times doctors told him they might have had to amputate the leg if the condition hadn't been addressed in six or seven hours.

Ellis was taken out on a hard slide by St. Louis' Tyler Greene Friday night and told trainer Sue Falsone the leg still bothered him on Saturday. After examination, she and her staff decided to get Ellis to a nearby hospital and the surgery to relieve pressure on the leg's muscles was performed immediately.

The manager said team physician Neal ElAttrache told him "if that thing goes another six or seven hours, you've got a chance of losing a leg. Doc said the muscle basically dies, doesn't get any blood flow."

Doctors said the injury is rare and usually seen in automobile crashes. Mattingly and bench coach Trey Hillman visited Ellis in the hospital and said the infielder would be sidelined about six weeks.

"That was scary. I didn't realize how bad that was," Mattingly said, praising Falsone and the medical staff.

Yikes. Get well soon, Mellis! (And I'm glad we don't have to replace the nickname "Mellis" with "Stumpy".)