Braves Pitcher Kris Medlen On Way To Becoming Tommy John Surgery's Greatest Success Story

Anyone Scared Of Tommy John Surgery Anymore?
ATLANTA, GA - OCTOBER 05: Kris Medlen #54 of the Atlanta Braves pitches in the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals during the National League Wild Card playoff game at Turner Field on October 5, 2012 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - OCTOBER 05: Kris Medlen #54 of the Atlanta Braves pitches in the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals during the National League Wild Card playoff game at Turner Field on October 5, 2012 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images)

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – The name is not scary anymore. Pitchers used to hear Tommy John and regard it as an epithet. Tommy John never wanted to be the Angel of Death for pitchers, and yet for years the surgery named after him because he was the first person brave enough to try it made pitchers quiver. Tommy John surgery meant a torn ulnar collateral ligament, a blown-up elbow, a career in jeopardy.

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