Chris Carpenter, Forever Immortal

The baseball world was taken by surprise on Tuesday when news broke that St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Chris Carpenter might never appear on a mound again. Continued concern over nerve damage in his neck and shoulder is going to prevent him from pitching at all in 2013. He's already had one serious procedure to correct his condition; it's difficult to envision him ever fully recovering. If he is in fact done with baseball, he's leaving behind of the most memorable and bizarre major league careers we've ever seen.

While Carpenter is best known for his work in St. Louis, he actually began his career in Toronto. He arrived in the majors at the same time as a pitcher named Roy Halladay, and the two of them were supposed to anchor the Blue Jays staff for years. Only one of the two delivered on their promise. Across six seasons between 1997 and 2002, Carpenter's ERA was a mediocre 4.83 in 135 total starts. He was unremarkable and injury-prone. In his final season in Toronto, he was placed on the Disabled List three separate times for a shoulder injury and ended up needing surgery. The Blue Jays understandably cut him. He signed on with the Cardinals in 2003, but didn't throw a single pitch that entire season thanks to a torn labrum. It would not have been a surprise if Carpenter never appeared in the majors again.

Instead, somehow, he immediately transformed himself into an ace. In 2004, he turned in the best season of his career. In 2005, he won the Cy Young Award with a 2.83 ERA in 241.2 innings. In 2006, the suddenly-quite-durable Carpenter threw another 221.2 innings with a 3.09 ERA and finished third in the Cy Young voting. He helped the Cardinals win the championship that year with eight shutout innings against the Detroit Tigers in Game 3 of the World Series. He earned a five-year, $65 million contract to stay in St. Louis. It was a stunning rebirth for a pitcher who had been left for dead.

Then it all came crashing down, again. Carpenter pitched six innings on Opening Day in 2007; they were the only innings he would throw all season. Bone spurs in his elbow forced him back under the knife. As he was attempting to return to the mound, it was discovered that he would also need Tommy John surgery, which wiped out most of the following season. Between 2007 and 2008, Carpenter made a total of four starts. Again, it appeared as though his career was in jeopardy.

And, again, he returned from the dead to regain his ace form. His 2009 season, despite the recovery from all those arm troubles, was spectacular. In 192.2 innings he led the league with a microscopic 2.24 ERA and finished second in a close Cy Young race. He went on to surpass the 200-inning mark in each of the next two years. And then came the 2011 postseason, where he left his permanent mark on the game. His Cardinals were massive underdogs in their first-round series against the mighty Philadelphia Phillies. In the decisive Game 5, he went up against Roy Halladay, his former teammate and the best pitcher of the previous decade. Halladay gave up one run in the first inning and nothing else. Carpenter had no margin for error. Here are the highlights from that start:

He ended up throwing a masterful complete-game, three-hit shutout in Philadelphia that ranks as one of the most dominant postseason starts ever. The Cardinals rode all that momentum to the World Series against the Texas Rangers. With that series knotted at three games apiece, Carpenter was tabbed to pitch Game 7. He did so on just three days' rest, even though his elbow and shoulder were at this point held together by string and Scotch tape:

He completed six innings against the best offense in baseball and the Cardinals won the World Series.

Appropriately, Carpenter followed up his stellar 2011 with an injury-plagued 2012. He began the season on the Disabled List and was eventually diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome, which was causing dangerous nerve problems in his shoulder. He underwent surgery that involved the removal of one of his ribs and, hit with a six-month recovery time, he was declared out for the rest of the season in July. Of course -- because he's Chris Carpenter -- he was back by September. He made three starts in the playoffs and helped knock off the favored Washington Nationals in the first round.

But now, finally, it seems as though he's run out of pixie dust. He's still experiencing numbness and other symptoms of thoracic outlet syndrome. Forget about his pitching career -- his livelihood could be at stake. The Cardinals have already announced that he's unlikely to play in 2013, which is the final year of his contract anyway. The writing's on the wall: this time, this time, he's definitely finished as a major league pitcher.

So when he's starting Game 7 of the 2014 World Series, try to act surprised.