Angels: Kendry Morales injured in dog pile at home plate after hitting walk-off grand slam against Mariners

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In one moment, Angels players were exultant. In the next, they were waving the trainers over and standing silently above fallen teammate Kendry Morales, who suffered what what is likely a season-ending injury while celebrating his walk-off grand slam in the 10th inning Saturday.

[Update 6:34 p.m.: X-rays revealed a fracture of the lower left leg. Morales will undergo surgery Sunday, performed by Dr. Phil Kwong, a foot and ankle specialist with Kerlan-Jobe Clinic.]

Morales had just given the Angels a 5-1 win over the Seattle Mariners when, as he neared home plate after rounding the bases, he leaped into the air as teammates who had rushed from the dugout waited to celebrate with him.

But when he landed, he appeared to slip. He fell to the ground immediately and lay on his back for several minutes before paramedics came onto the field. A cart was driven out, bearing a stretcher.

It was hard to determine the extent of his injury as Morales lay amid the scrum of teammates. He was taken from the field on the cart as fans cheered and Morales lay with hands crossed on top of his face.

His home run came on the first pitch, a 95-mph sinker from Mariners right-handed reliever Brandon League. Before Morales came to bat, Maicer Izturis had reached on a double to right field and Bobby Abreu had been intentionally walked. Reggie Willits, who had replaced Torii Hunter after the center fielder was hit on the hand by a pitch in the first inning, reached first to load the bases after Seattle’s Chone Figgins, a former Angel, bobbled his grounder.

Morales was leading the Angels in batting average (.290), home runs (11), total bases (94) and runs batted in (39).

--Baxter Holmes