Lou Brock has part of his leg amputated due to infection
By John Buhler
Lou Brock, the Hall of Fame left fielder and base stealing extraordinaire for the St. Louis Cardinals, had part of his left leg amputated due to infection.
According to Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, National Baseball Hall of Famer Lou Brock had part of his left leg amputated just below the knee. due to infection stemming from diabetes. Brock had over 3,000 career hits and is still National League record holder for most career steals with 938. He is second in MLB history behind only Rickey Henderson’s 1,406.
Brock spent the majority of his Hall of Fame career with the St. Louis Cardinals. After leaving the Chicago Cubs in 1963, Brock played for the Cardinals from 1964 to 1979 before retiring as the all-time leading in stolen bases.
The 76-year-old had to go to the hospital several weeks back, finding out that he had an infection in his left leg stemming from his diabetic condition. Amputation seemed inevitable, as he began using a walker and was promptly fitted for a prosthetic.
Lou Brock has been a goodwill ambassador for the Cardinals organization since his 1979 retirement and is a prominent fixture at the annual National Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremonies up in Cooperstown, New York.
It’s a shame that diabetes took away the mobility of one of the fastest men to ever play Major League Baseball. Diabetes ended up taking both legs of renowned Chicago Cubs third baseman Ron Santo. Diabetes ended his life before seeing deserved Hall of Fame enshrinement. Santo was posthumously honored a few years ago.
Brock goes down in history as one of the greatest lead-off men to have ever played in the Big Leagues. Hopefully his health will not get in the way of him getting back up to Cooperstown later this summer. Get well soon, Lou!