The official site of the Torch, the student-run newspaper at Glenbrook North High School.

Torch

The official site of the Torch, the student-run newspaper at Glenbrook North High School.

Torch

The official site of the Torch, the student-run newspaper at Glenbrook North High School.

Torch

Pitcher thrown off course

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When Tommy John, former Major League Baseball pitcher, coached his son’s baseball team at Furman University 15 years ago, he did not know what caused players to require Tommy John surgery, but he knew overthrowing was not a good thing. So, he devised a way to get his pitchers to pitch less.

“[When my pitchers] pitched, every time [they] polished off a hitter in four pitches or less, [they] ran one less [lap from foul pole to foul pole],” said John, who won 288 games for six MLB teams in 26 years. “Five pitches or more and [they] had one more pole. So these guys…started throwing strikes. And when they started throwing strikes, they started getting batters out. And when they started getting batters out, they would pitch six, seven innings and throw [only] 75 pitches or 80 pitches.”

When John played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, he tore his ulnar collateral ligament (UCL), which required a revolutionary surgery that would later be named after him.

The procedure, which repairs the ligament in the elbow, has become increasingly common among teenagers. Orthopedic surgeon Roger Ostrander attributed the injury to overthrowing.

“What happens is if somebody goes out and has thrown 130 pitches, they start to fatigue, and when you start to fatigue, your mechanics get poor and you’re more likely to sustain an injury,” said Ostrander, who is partners with one of the best known surgeons for performing Tommy John surgery, Dr. James Andrews.

Junior Kyle MacRae is a member of the Glenbrook North baseball team who had to undergo Tommy John surgery. He said he first felt pain in his left elbow before he pitched against Maine West in a summer league game last summer.

“My coach came out to talk to me because he knew something was up before the game in warm-ups, and I knew too,” MacRae said.

The first week of his junior year, MacRae had Tommy John surgery to repair his torn UCL.

John said he was not particularly surprised at the increase in teenage pitchers requiring Tommy John surgery.

“Shocked, no. Bothered, yes,” said John, who had his surgery in 1974, 11 years into his major-league career. “I hate to use this cliché, [but] back in my era, you played baseball from April to August, then you played basketball. …So, I would put the baseball up in August, I would get the shoes out and I would start running…to get ready for basketball.”

Now, it is not uncommon for high school athletes to train for their sports year-round. But Dominic Savino, varsity baseball Head Coach, said the baseball program takes steps to prevent injuries and protect pitchers during the season.

“Our starters only start once a week for us,” said Savino. “So I can tell you, in the four years I’ve been at [Glenbrook North] so far, that the number of times a young man has started on a Monday and come back on a Saturday is very minimal.”

Ostrander said it is important to limit pitching for teenagers to prevent injuries later in their baseball careers, and Savino agreed.

“For me personally, I’d rather hurt our chances of winning than hurt a young man’s future in the game of baseball,” Savino said.

MacRae said he needs to gradually regain strength before he can return to playing.

“It’s tough,” said MacRae. “I’m going to rehab three times a week and I have to work out on my own every day. It’s not easy.”

MacRae is hopeful to return to playing baseball upon the completion of his rehabilitation.

“My goal is to pitch again sometime this season,” said MacRae. “And for sure I think I should be able [to] by senior year. If no things go wrong this year, I’ll be back to pitching again soon.”