Posey likely out for year with broken leg

SAN FRANCISCO -- Buster Posey was carted through a tunnel at AT&T Park early yesterday morning, a makeshift cast covering his left ankle and no emotion on his face.

Not exactly the exit the cornerstone of the World Series champion Giants wanted this season.

A night after Florida's Scott Cousins crashed into him at home plate, San Francisco's star catcher was put on the disabled list with a fractured bone in his lower left leg, likely ending his season and putting a major dent in the Giants' chances of a repeat.

An MRI Thursday confirmed that Posey has a fractured left fibula and three torn ligaments in his left ankle, Giants trainer Dave Groeschner said. Posey will seek a specialist to perform surgery.

"You just don't replace a guy like Buster Posey," said Giants manager Bruce Bochy, a former catcher who was so taken aback by the news that he called on Major League Baseball to review rule changes for collisions at the plate.

"It's part of baseball, I understand that, guys running into catchers. Being a catcher, I've been in a few of them. You're in harm's way there," Bochy said. "I think we do need to consider changing the rules here a little bit because the catcher is so vulnerable and there's so many who have gotten hurt.''

The play started when Emilio Bonifacio hit a shallow fly ball to right-center off Guillermo Mota for the second out in the 12th. Cousins tagged from third, beating the throw from Nate Schierholtz and lowering his shoulder to slam into Posey for a clean hit on the catcher. Cousins was safe as Posey never corralled the ball, giving Florida the go-ahead run in its 7-6 victory.

Cousins, who went to the University of San Francisco, lives in the Bay Area and had almost a dozen friends and family in attendance, apologized repeatedly for injuring Posey. But he believes -- as most Giants reiterated -- that he made a clean baseball play.

Cousins was even more remorseful when he heard about the severity of the injury, saying he had to look away from the replay that was shown repeatedly at the team's hotel. He said he tried calling Posey twice overnight, left messages with Giants trainers and sent his condolences to the other clubhouse.

With tears welling, he said, "The last thing I wanted to do was break a guy's leg."

As word spread throughout the Giants' clubhouse, players began to come to grips with what Posey's injury meant.

The speakers near bearded closer Brian Wilson's locker, which usually blare music, were uncharacteristically silent. Televisions were turned off. No one was playing dominoes or cards. Hard to imagine a more important position player than Posey to replace.

Posey has been the cleanup hitter, a team leader in the clubhouse and key cog behind the plate for one of baseball's best rotations. The reigning NL Rookie of the Year was batting .284 with four home runs and 21 RBIs, just finding his groove in the midst of a 13-game hitting streak that helped move the Giants into first place in the NL West.