Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 9 No. 3 | January 2017

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serves as stability for the elbow joint. Surgeons
drill holes in the humerus and weave a tendon
through by using a figure-eight pattern. With
that procedure, Jobe sparked a movement that
has saved the careers of countless pitchers.
John went on to win 164 more games over
the course of 14 years. Other notable pitchers
to thrive following the surgery include John
Smoltz, Tim Hudson and AdamWainwright.
Today,doctorsperformTommyJohnsurgery
almost every day. Dr. Timothy Kremchek, the
Cincinnati Reds team doctor, performed the
surgery on McDonald and Enright. On the
day of McDonald’s surgery, he performed four
or five Tommy John surgeries, according to
McDonald. Kremchek told McDonald that the
surgery used to last four hours, but now only
takes a shade more than an hour.
The stance on Tommy John surgery has
changed drastically over the years. In fact,
some parents think their kids need to get
Tommy John surgery early to increase arm
strength. According to the American Sports
Medicine Institute, 25-50 percent of amateur
players, coaches, and parents believe this
theory.
Brett Griesemer, the athletic trainer for the
Tech baseball team, said some parents think
the surgery guarantees their kids come back
stronger—a common misconception.
“It’s become quite a hysteria,” he said. “You
have these teenage kids, and they’re having
some elbow pain, and they [parents] want to
just get the Tommy John surgery over with.”
According to the institute, 10-20 percent of
pitchers never make it back to their previous
level after having the surgery. Major League
Baseball and the institute conducted a study
that examined professional pitchers who
underwent Tommy John surgery. It showed no
differences in pitching biomechanics.
The institute called the rise in injuries an
epidemic. There has been a sharp increase
in the amount of UCL tears since the start of
the century, and the institute attributed these
changes to young pitchers doing more with
their arms before they reach their 20s than a
pitcher who played 12 years ago.
Some players overuse their arms on the
mound, and others play multiple positions
instead of giving their arms a break. Poor
mechanics and conditioning are other possible
reasons for the rise in UCL injuries.
“I think the biggest reason is because guys
are training more,” Griesemer said. “They’re
able to throw harder. They’re throwing 90
mph in high school. Over time, that puts a lot
of stress on the elbow.”
Athletes specializing in one sport also
give cause for concern. With scholarships
increasing in value and sports becoming
more competitive, high school athletes believe
they should focus on one sport to receive a
scholarship.
“I think it’s the specialization of sports
that has led to more injuries,” Griesemer
said. “Guys that play baseball year-round
are probably more at risk than back in the
day when everyone played every sport. Now
college scholarships are a big deal, so if you
want to specialize in baseball, then you throw
year-round.”
Coaches try to do their part to make sure
their pitchers aren’t dealing with a lot of stress
on the mound. Inning limits and pitch counts
have been implemented, though there is no
magic number. Pinzino said that he takes into
account other factors in addition to pitch count.
“The No. 1 indicator is leaving balls up in
the zone,” he said. “If I’m getting tired, it’s
not just my arm, but my whole body getting
tired. Typically, the mechanics can slow down
a tad bit. Most pitching coaches want pitchers
to work quickly. Sometimes you see the pace
slow down quite a bit. That’s a fairly common
indicator.”
“I do believe pitching them less is safer,”
Mason said. “I don’t have anumber, andneither
does anybody else because, if somebody had
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ANDREW
MCDONALD