Tommy John surgery. This is a surgery to replace the injured elbow ligament with another one. Since Dr. Frank Jobe performed it on Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tommy John in 1974, many pitchers have had their careers revived by this surgery.
Toronto Blue Jays left-hander Ryu Hyun-jin, 36, is one of them. In the 13 and a half months since his surgery last year, Ryu has returned to the mound and has a 2.48 ERA in 29 innings pitched in six games.
While Hyun-jin Ryu was quietly going about his business on the other side of the world, another pitcher across the Pacific was becoming the next Tommy John.
That would be Kiwoom Heroes ace Ahn Woo-jin, 24.
The 24-year-old has been one of the best starters in the KBO this season, going 9-7 with a 2.39 ERA in 24 starts, but a doctor diagnosed him with a torn medial collateral ligament in his elbow, leading to Tommy John surgery.
While Ryu hasn’t shared a kitchen table with Ahn, they do have a connection as they are both represented by the same agency. They even trained together during the offseason.
We asked Ryu what he would say to Ahn when we met him in the clubhouse before the team’s game against the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday.
“I don’t think it’s a big deal,” Ryu said as he sat down in a chair after taking a hot bath and toweling off his reddened body. Time will take care of it. It’s a surgery that rarely fails, and (Ahn) Woojin is young,” he said, sharing his thoughts.
As he said, Tommy John surgery has a high success rate. According to Medical News Today, there is an 80 to 95 percent chance of returning to work.
However, it involves tearing and stitching up flesh and muscle. Rehabilitation is not an easy journey. It’s not uncommon for athletes to struggle to regain their form afterward. According to Medical News Today, 20 percent of pitchers who undergo surgery never regain their pre-operative level of performance.카지노사이트
When asked, “What do you think is the most important thing about the rehabilitation process?” Ryu said, “No setbacks. He emphasized that the injury should not recur.
So how does he ensure that there are no setbacks?
“You can’t increase (training) too much at once,” he says, “or do things like that. You have to go with the flow,” he said, emphasizing the importance of not being greedy.
Ryu came back from Tommy John surgery in 13 and a half months, which is pretty quick for a pitcher, but he’s been steady since then. One of the reasons he’s been able to do this is because he’s been able to rehabilitate without re-injuring himself.
It will be interesting to see if the Korean Baseball Organization’s top ace can take the advice of the Tommy John veteran after his injury layoff.