And the Red Sox figure that means they are in good shape.
Schilling on Saturday had the same unorthodox medical procedure that allowed him to pitch effectively in his ALCS Game 6 start against the Yankees, having team physician Bill Morgan put sutures in his injured right ankle to keep a dislocated tendon in place. He's scheduled to start Game 2 of the World Series tonight. "As far as pain goes, I'm not feeling anything right now," Schilling said. "We did it again today and we were not as rushed as the first time we did it. So he allowed the painkiller to actually work this time."
Schilling pitched, and covered first base, just about as he normally would. Still, he expects manager Tony La Russa and the Cardinals to try to take advantage of his situation - something the Yankees stubbornly didn't do - by bunting.
Actually, he is hoping they all try it.
"I expect them to bunt," Schilling said. "I expect them to try to get me to move off the mound, which we've gotten ready for. I would love to see (Albert) Pujols come down and try to lay down a bunt, or (Jim) Edmonds or (Scott) Rolen.
"But I certainly expect them to try to push the envelope that way and run and make things happen, like he's always done in the past."
Schilling said he had no qualms about doing the procedure again because it worked so well the first time. Even then he wasn't that concerned, though Morgan came up with the idea on his own and practiced on a cadaver.
"When he came to me, we were out of options," Schilling said. "I was not going to be able to pitch Game 6. That was clear. I was not going to go out there feeling the way I felt in Game 1. And this was, I mean, when he explained it to me it made total sense. Whether it had ever been done or not was not really relevant to me at that point."
Red Sox officials weren't sure how well the procedure would hold up, how long Schilling could pitch and what effects it might have on him.
"I didn't breathe for nine innings," Morgan said.
Schilling came through the seven-inning outing with no further problems, though he was bleeding enough that it showed through his sock. The sutures were removed immediately after the game to prevent infection and will be put back in before each World Series start, along with a combination of painkilling and numbing medications.
The procedure takes only about 10 minutes, and Morgan has it down enough that he said he even could do it on short notice if Schilling were needed to pitch in relief.
Schilling said he couldn't thank Morgan enough.
"He's earned every bit of the accolades he's gotten over the last 10 days, because without him I would not be out here," Schilling said. "I asked him what the highest prize in medicine is. I guess there's a Nobel Prize. I've got to believe he's on the ballot."
