Richard Alexander Ankiel (/ˈæŋkiːl/; born July 19, 1979) is an American former professional baseball center fielder and pitcher.

He spent most of his Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the St. Louis Cardinals, but also played for the Kansas City Royals, Atlanta Braves, Washington Nationals, Houston Astros, and New York Mets.

After trying to regain his pitching form in the minor leagues and briefly returning to the majors in 2004, he switched to the outfield in early 2005.

Cardinals manager Tony La Russa chose Ankiel to start game one of the National League Division Series against veteran pitcher Greg Maddux of the Braves.

[12] In his next start, game two of the National League Championship Series against the New York Mets, Ankiel was removed in the first inning after throwing 20 pitches, five of which went past catcher Eli Marrero (only two were official wild pitches, as no runners were on base for the others), and the first of which sailed over the head of Mets' hitter Timo Perez.

Ankiel appeared again in the seventh inning of game five facing four hitters, walking two and throwing two more wild pitches.

[2] His loss of control, often called the yips, has been compared to pitcher Steve Blass, who also became unable to consistently throw strikes for unknown reasons.

A section of a book about Cardinals manager Tony La Russa, Three Nights in August, details Ankiel's rise to the big leagues and loss of control as a pitcher in 2000–2001.

[16] In 2002, Ankiel sat out the season due to a left elbow sprain, and was not cleared to throw until December.

He returned to the minors in 2003, posting a 6.29 ERA in 10 starts[9] before undergoing season-ending ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction (Tommy John surgery) for his left elbow in July.

[17] On March 9, 2005, Ankiel announced that he was switching to the outfield, after a spring training scrimmage in which he threw only three strikes out of 23 pitches.

[17][18] In the minors in 2005, he continued to be a powerful batter, slugging over .500 in both Single-A and Double-A, with a combined 21 home runs in 55 games.

[6] In 2006, Ankiel was invited to spring training by the Cardinals as an outfielder, with a slim chance to make the team as a reserve player.

He also hit an RBI double and made an over-the-shoulder catch in deep center field that saved two runs.

On August 9, 2007, the Cardinals promoted Ankiel[20] from Memphis after a roster spot was vacated by Scott Spiezio's departure.

During the seventh inning, he hit a three-run home run off Doug Brocail to right field to help the Cardinals defeat the San Diego Padres, 5–0.

Ankiel's comeback led syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer to write on August 17:[22] His return after seven years—if only three days long—is the stuff of legend.

Made even more perfect by the timing: Just two days after Barry Bonds sets a synthetic home run record in San Francisco, the Natural returns to St. Louis.Ankiel hit his first grand slam in St. Louis against left-hander Eddie Guardado of the Cincinnati Reds on August 31 with the team trailing, 4–3, for an 8–5 win that broke a tie with Red Schoendienst for La Russa for most wins by a Cardinals manager.

On September 23, Ankiel had his first walk-off hit, a two-run triple to beat the Astros 4–3 on the last Sunday Night Baseball game of the season.

[9] The Cardinals, coming off a 2006 World Series title and three consecutive division championships, finished 2007 with a 78–84 record and missed the playoffs.

[24][25] Ankiel helped the Cardinals defeat the Colorado Rockies on May 6 by recording two outfield assists and a home run to propel St. Louis to a 6–5 victory.

[27] Ankiel platooned with Colby Rasmus for much of the remainder of the year and finished the season with 11 home runs, 38 RBI, and a .231 batting average.

[28][29] He began the season as the Royals' starting center fielder but was placed on the disabled list on May 5 with a strained right quadriceps after playing sparingly beginning on April 24.

[32] On July 31, Ankiel and reliever Kyle Farnsworth were traded to the Atlanta Braves for Jesse Chavez, Gregor Blanco, and Tim Collins.

Ankiel played in 122 games for the Nationals in 2011, hitting .239 with 9 home runs and 37 RBIs while platooning in center field with Roger Bernadina.

Following an 0-for-4, three-strikeout performance against the Miami Marlins on June 8, giving him a combined 60 strikeouts in 128 at-bats for the season, Ankiel was designated for assignment by the Mets.

[51][52] After retiring, Ankiel became a commentator and studio analyst for Bally Sports Midwest, frequently joining Dan McLaughlin to call Cardinals games.

[56] The 2016 film, The Phenom, starring Ethan Hawke, Johnny Simmons, and Paul Giamatti, is loosely based on Ankiel's personal life and professional struggles.