His Career Once In Jeopardy, Cal Pitcher Earns Prestigious Postseason Award
By Mitch Lehman
The worst sound a pitcher can hear isn’t necessarily the thunderous ovation of the opposing crowd, or the sharp crack of the bat signaling temporary failure. Or even the voice of the manager as he is removed from the game.
More dreadful, and often more fatal to one’s career, is the light ‘pop’ that is often felt more than it’s heard.
Former San Marino High School ace Jeff Bain knows that sound. And he also knows that feeling.
It was March 2014 and the Titan ace was on the McNamee Field mound in a pre-Rio Hondo League showcase game against Oak Hills and their own top-line pitcher Solomon Bates. A half-dozen scouts carefully unsheathed their radar guns and trained the lens on home plate. On that Chamber of Commerce afternoon, they even paid visits to both bullpens to determine the speed at which Bates and Bain warmed up.
At some point during the second inning, Bain cut loose with a fastball and felt the dreaded tinge of pain on the inside of the right elbow that often spells c-u-r-t-a-i-n-s for a career and introduces the hurler to the legend of Tommy John.
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