The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 388

388. Side Story 4) First Injury

Injuries are almost inevitable in the life of a baseball player.

Sure, there are joke injuries, like Stan Owens, who ruined his career and retired after a sneeze tweaked his back, turning it into a chronic problem. But with a 162-game schedule, it’s safe to say that minor and major injuries are just part of the game.

September 2034.

During the third inning of a game against the LA Angels, I felt a sharp pain in my elbow while pitching. I immediately signaled and came off the mound.

To be honest, I had a lot of minor injuries this season, but this felt like a much bigger deal.

If I were heading into free agency, I might have tried to play through it and get a secret examination, but luckily, I had already signed a 7+5 year long-term contract the previous winter.

Actually, there had been several attempts to lock me into a long-term contract before my service time was up, but I didn’t really like most of the offers. It was like I knew the team would eventually be the one sweating it as time went on.

In the end, after my fifth year, I signed a 7+5 year, $700 million contract covering 2033 to 2044, from ages 25 to 36. If I had waited for free agency, I might have gotten a bit more, but I was seriously talking about marriage with Eun-jin at the time, so I thought it would be better to settle down and signed a year early.

“It’s a torn elbow ligament.”

That was the doctor’s diagnosis.

My first thought was that I was lucky to have signed that contract a year early.

Oh my god.

A torn elbow ligament.

Before I came back in time, I had experienced three major injuries.

The first was when I shattered my shoulder in high school. I was so ridiculously talented that I successfully transitioned to being a hitter, but it was a career-threatening injury that would have forced most baseball players to quit.

The second was when I was hit by a 147 km/h [approximately 91 mph] fastball on my left hand while playing professionally in the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization]. I played through it because it was the end of the season, but the finger healed slightly wrong, and I suffered whenever the weather was bad.

And the third was when I bulked up and tore my hamstring badly in the big leagues, which sidelined me for the last two months of the season. I was the leading MVP [Most Valuable Player] candidate at the time, and I tried everything to come back, but it just wasn’t possible.

Anyway, through those experiences, I learned one thing for sure: if you’re hurt, go to the hospital and do whatever the doctor tells you. Of course, that doesn’t mean every player has to do that. Sometimes, it might be a smart choice to push yourself, improve your performance, and earn better opportunities and more money.

But for me, at least, resting and coming back in perfect condition was likely the smarter choice in the long run.

Especially with the security of a 7+5 year, $700 million contract!

─Choi Su-won complaining of elbow discomfort?

─Choi Su-won out for the season?

─Choi Su-won heads to the LA Job Clinic? Tommy John surgery?

─Anonymous source A: ‘Nothing is confirmed yet. He will be examined by several doctors first.’

─Was the elbow pain the reason for his poor performance this season?

─Kim Chung-beom (Director of Kim Chung-beom Orthopedic Clinic): ‘The technology has improved a lot recently, and the number of cases has increased significantly. In my personal opinion, returning to Korea to get a diagnosis and considering surgery or other therapies is a viable option.’

I immediately booked appointments at the most famous hospitals in the eastern and western United States.

Since it was an away game against the Angels, I went to the Job Clinic first. It was founded by Dr. Frank Jobe, the pioneer of Tommy John surgery [a procedure to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in the elbow]. Of course, Dr. Jobe had already passed away, but it was still one of the most famous hospitals.

And then I headed to Miami, where Dr. Andrews, the most famous doctor on the East Coast, had his clinic. He was known for the high quality of his surgeries since his active days. Of course, he had already retired from the field, but he made a personal appearance for the consultation, probably because of my fame.

“There are several non-surgical options. We could consider stem cell treatments or injections to release adhesions. Surgery to reconstruct the damaged ligament with an internal brace is also possible, but…”

“So, you’re saying Tommy John surgery is still the most reliable option.”

“That’s right. Of course, it will be a burden. But considering that you’re not an ordinary person and that you’re a baseball player who constantly puts a lot of stress on your elbow, those non-surgical methods are unlikely to be very effective. You’re still young, and considering that you need to play for at least 10 more years, I would recommend surgery. And…”

Dr. Andrews paused for a moment before continuing.

“Regarding the issue of playing as a hitter after surgery, I don’t think it’s a good choice. Shohei Ohtani’s case is an example, but I don’t see it as a good one. Of course, the Jobe Clinic would have guaranteed a faster return. But I’m an old man who worries a lot, so I hope you’ll be as careful as possible.”

“Okay, sure. Let’s do the surgery.”

Eun-jin and my manager, who had been listening to the doctor’s explanation with serious expressions, looked at me in surprise at my quick answer.

As Dr. Andrews said, the Jobe Clinic had tempted me with the possibility of returning by the second half of next year if I chose reinforcement instead of reconstruction, and even playing as a hitter from the first half. There were actually cases where players had done that.

But as Dr. Andrews said, I had at least 10 years left in my career, and considering that, I decided that it would be better to recover completely from this injury.

I may look like I’m only twenty-six on the outside, but I’m an old man in my forties on the inside, so I preferred Dr. Andrews, who was as conservative as possible about my body, to the Jobe Clinic, which was talking ambitiously about the minimum recovery period.

“Su-won, just like that? Shouldn’t we look into it a little more…”

“The Jobe Clinic said the same thing. If they’re saying the same thing here and there, then we’ve looked into all the options. And if we’re going to have surgery, Florida is better than LA, right?”

“That’s a good choice.”

“How can we schedule the surgery? Oh, are you going to perform it yourself?”

“Haha, if I were 20 years younger, I might have. But now I’m just a figurehead who does consultations. Our clinic’s best surgeon, Dr. Goldberg, will perform the surgery. I’m not just saying this because he’s my grandson, but his skills are much better than mine in my prime. He’s been on the front lines for 15 years, so he’s at his peak physically and technically. When I operated on Roger Clemens and Michael Jordan 50 years ago, I was exactly that age. In baseball terms, you could say he’s about Choi Su-won’s age.”

One of the most famous authorities in the world couldn’t help but brag about his grandson, adding a few extra words with a big smile.

“Okay, then please take care of me. As soon as possible.”

“I understand.”

If I had to have surgery anyway, there was no reason to postpone it. I had to think about at least 12 months, or even 18 months, of rehabilitation. If I postponed it by a few months, I would miss not just one season, but one and a half seasons. And if that happened, I might get impatient because I didn’t want to miss that extra half season.

─Choi Su-won decides to have elbow ligament reconstruction surgery!!

─Who is Dr. Michael Goldberg, who will be in charge of Choi Su-won’s surgery?

─Dr. Michael Goldberg: ‘The surgery was successful and perfect. But the key to Tommy John surgery is the rehabilitation that follows. I am confident that our clinic provides the most effective rehabilitation routine. Choi Su-won is the best player in the world, no, in baseball history, and we will provide all options for his successful rehabilitation.’

Injuries are painful, surgery is even more painful, and rehabilitation is difficult. I already knew that from my past life.

But elbow ligament reconstruction surgery, Tommy John surgery, was the most brutal of them all.

“No, you have to be as safe as possible. Look before you leap.”

Of course, I had every intention of following the doctor’s orders. But I couldn’t help but feel restless as my body felt like it was getting better. After all, I hadn’t been able to throw a ball properly for over eight months, so I couldn’t help but feel frustrated.

It’s easy for people to say, ‘You can’t wait just eight months and you’re going to ruin your whole career?’ But it’s not that simple in practice. If my body was a little uncomfortable or painful, I would just put up with it, but I wasn’t in any pain and my body felt great after resting, but I couldn’t throw a ball, so I felt even more frustrated. The fact that I was able to do limited batting practice helped to quench my thirst a little.

“Okay, let’s start ITP [Interval Throwing Program].”

ITP.

Only after the Interval Throwing Program started did I start to feel like I was really training.

Starting with shadow pitching, then long toss, and finally the mound.

“You definitely have a different recovery rate because of your age. Very good.”

“So, when can I throw at full strength?”

“Let’s have you throw from the mound next week. And if there are no problems… The SWB RailRiders’ [Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, a minor league baseball team] last game was September 23rd, right? Then it would be a good choice to join them for rehab before that.”

Exactly 11 months and 27 days.

A rehab game was scheduled much sooner than I expected.

September 14th.

Even though it was a AAA [Triple-A] league game, the 11,000 seats at PNC Field were already sold out.

“Haha, Su-won. How’s your body?”

“It’s been a while since I’ve been to a stadium, so I’m itching to play. I heard you got promoted, what are you doing here?”

“It’s your appearance. It’s been a year. It’s a special broadcast, and we’re short on camera crew.”

YES Network [a regional sports network] had also brought a large team to the stadium for the minor league game. In the corner, I could see the broadcasting team from Korea, even though it was a minor league game.

The mound after a year.

I could feel the eyes on me.

There were eyes of support, eyes of worry, and also the sinister eyes that wanted me to collapse.

Just like I always did.

I wound up and threw the ball hard.

-Thwack!!!

A 103.7 mph fastball that went way outside.

My body was at 100 percent.

No, more than that.