Dustin Fowler’s misery crushes Yankees: ‘It just makes you sick’

CHICAGO — This was, for lack of better phrasing, uniquely horrific.

Dustin Fowler, one of the most admired prospects in the Yankees’ acclaimed farm system, had worked his way up to his big moment Thursday night. He had flown from Syracuse for his major league debut, then waited nearly three hours through a rain delay. He had watched the Yankees send five men to bat in the top of the first, scoring a run, and knowing he would get his first big-league at-bat in the top of the second.

Instead, Rob Refsnyder took that at-bat against the White Sox’s James Shields. At that very moment, Fowler was probably being loaded into an ambulance at Guaranteed Rate Field. There’s no telling when, or if, he will get that at-bat.

The 22-year-old outfielder is out for the season after suffering an open rupture of the patellar tendon in his right knee, the result of banging the knee into the ballpark’s lower right field wall (and, according to manager Joe Girardi, an unpadded metal box that abuts the wall) from chasing Jose Abreu’s foul ball in the bottom of the first. He immediately underwent surgery at Rush University Medical Center as the Yankees proceeded to lose, 4-3.

“It just makes you sick,” said Aaron Judge, who became friendly with Fowler during their time together in the minor leagues. “About to debut, about to lead off the next inning and then something like that happens.”

“I know what it takes to get here and how hard he’s worked, and what’s supposed to be a really exciting day for him turns into a really bad day,” said Girardi, who choked up as he spoke. “So I’m still in disbelief. I’m in tears for the kid.”

With the loss, the Yankees fell back into second place in the American League East, thanks to the Red Sox’s 6-3 victory. And Fowler’s departure means that on Friday, the Yankees will put their fifth player on the disabled list in five days. Nevertheless, no one really looked at the macro early Friday as the Yankees prepared to fly to Houston; to turn cold-hearted for a moment, it’s not like Fowler had been an integral contributor to this effort.

No, the guys just fretted for Fowler. Shared their dismay with each other and with the media on site.

“It’s one of the worst things I’ve seen on the baseball field,” Brett Gardner said. “Think back to Derek [Jeter] and his ankle and Mariano [Rivera] and his knee. It’s hard to compare a kid who hasn’t been in the big leagues before to one of those two guys, but I just can’t imagine a worst scenario for him.”

The Jeter and Rivera incidents both occurred in 2012. In both instances, you wondered whether you saw epic careers come to a sudden end (they both played again, but only Rivera approached his past greatness). This one stung differently. If it evoked any legend, it was that of Moonlight Graham, the actual player who became famous thanks to Burt Lancaster’s portrayal of him in the 1989 classic film “Field of Dreams.” On June 29, 1905 (exactly 112 years prior to Fowler), Graham made his major league debut as a Giants defensive replacement in the eighth inning. In the top of the ninth, Graham stood on deck as the Giants made their third out. And Graham never played in the majors again.

You sure hope Fowler’s story turns out differently. That the surgery goes well and that he can get that at-bat and put together something resembling the productive career that the Yankees projected.

You never know what you’re going to see any night in the ballpark. Unfortunately, those who were here will never forget this one.