It was 19 years ago when Robin Ventura fractured his right ankle sliding into home plate during a spring training game, an injury that cost him most of the 1997 season.
Ventura’s injury was gruesome, but ultimately not as serious as the one Cubs catcher/outfielder Kyle Schwarber suffered Thursday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Schwarber tore his ACL and LCL — the same injury suffered by former Notre Dame linebacker Jaylon Smith that has knocked him from being projected to be a consensus top NFL Draft pick to well out of the first round — and is expected to miss the rest of the season.