Affeldt endures another off-day injury

SAN FRANCISCO -- Rest and relaxation again proved hazardous to Jeremy Affeldt's health.

The Giants placed Affeldt on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday, one day after the left-hander sustained a partial dislocation, known as a subluxation, of his left knee. The Giants recalled right-hander Mike Broadway from Triple-A Sacramento to fill Affeldt's spot in the bullpen.

Affeldt injured himself while playing with his three sons, ages 8, 5 and 3, at Loon Lake near his offseason home of Spokane, Wash. Anticipating not being able to see his family during the regular season's final five weeks, he flew there to steal as much time as he could with them.

"Getting hurt on the off-day, that's the M.O.," admitted Affeldt, whose career total of freak off-day injuries soared to three. "It's embarrassing, yeah, but I was with my kids. I'm not going to apologize."

As Affeldt related, he and his sons were preparing to leave the lake to have dinner when he slipped on a platform.

"We were just playing with their water stuff they have out there," he said. "We were having a good time. It wasn't like we were knee-boarding or wakeboarding or anything like that. I was just playing with them on some of their float stuff and I just lost my footing. I tried to favor my right knee so I wouldn't hurt that, and then my good knee decided to buckle and pop. And I tore the patella ligament."

Giants manager Bruce Bochy summarized the incident by saying, "It was just Jeremy being Jeremy."

Affeldt, 36, expressed optimism about pitching again before the season ends. He owns the third-lowest ERA among pitchers to have accumulated at least 30 postseason innings -- 0.86 (three earned runs in 31 1/3 innings), one slot ahead of Babe Ruth. This season, Affeldt was 2-2 witih a 5.46 ERA in 44 appearances.

Affeldt's previous unusual injury occurred in May 2012. Returning home from a game, he was enthusiastically greeted by his son Walker, who at the time stood 4-foot-6 and weighed 40 pounds at age 4. Walker bounded into the arms of Affeldt, who sprained his right knee.

Affeldt endured a scarier incident in September 2011, when he cut his right hand while trying to separate frozen hamburger patties with a sharp knife. The deep wound came within a millimeter of an artery, and he needed surgery to repair nerve damage in his pinkie.

Doctors told Affeldt he'll probably be able to avoid surgery this time.

Said Affeldt, "The structure of the knee is fine, the ACL is fine, the MCL is fine, the meniscus is fine. I guess it's just a little ligament up there near the knee that kind of tore off. ... It could have been a lot worse. ... I'll probably be pitching with two knee braces. By the end of the season, I'll probably have every brace known to man on every joint known to man."

Broadway, who had a six-game stint with the Giants in June, was 2-0 with a 0.93 ERA and 13 saves in 40 appearances for Sacramento. He had 64 strikeouts and eight walks in 48 1/3 innings.