Opening Day 2007 Pitching Injuries
New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers and Texas Rangers Lose Key Pitchers
2007 MLB spring training injuries to Chien-Ming Wang, Andy Pettitte, and Kenny Rogers threaten some of baseball's best teams.
Pitchers and Quarterbacks. All they seem to do is get hurt in the pre-season. Spring training 2007 has already seen a number of players with pitching injuries land on disabled lists all over the Major Leagues prior to opening day of the 2007 MLB season. Unless these guys get healthy fast, their teams could find themselves removed from the top of the MLB Power Rankings, and some 2007 Fantasy Baseball Owners might just be up the creek for the 2007 Baseball Season. Here is the latest on five top pitchers whose absences on Opening Day of the 2007 MLB season present major challenges to their teams.
Chien-Ming Wang, New York Yankees
Yes, the 2007 New York Yankees have the best lineup in the majors. They also may have one of the best starting rotations in the American League. If they can all stay healthy, that is. So far, the starting rotation is not off to a very good start. Last week, New York Yankee Chien-Ming Wang went on the 15 day Disabled List with a hamstring injury. The New York Yankees hope that Wang can return by the last week in April. They hope. Last year, second basemen Robinson Cano missed almost fifty games with the same injury. Hamstring injuries can really be a pain near the ass.
Andy Pettitte, New York Yankees
New York Yankee pitcher Andy Pettitte has battled injuries throughout his entire career, but he has almost always bounced back quickly from the things that have ailed him. In the spring of 2007, Pettitte was pained by chronic back spasms that put him on the shelf on March 20, 2007. He missed two starts, and did not throw again until he tossed 31 pitches in a bullpen session on March 27th. The New York Yankees say that Pettitte will be okay to pitch soon, but he is still not well enough to start the opener, which leaves the New York Yankees with team pariah Carl Pavano pitching on Opening Day. That can’t be a good sign.
Kenny Rogers, Detroit Tigers
Rogers has won more games (75) than any left-hander in baseball over the past five years. The Tigers initally put him on the 15 day DL with a “fatigued arm.” Today, March 30, 2007, Rogers had surgery to remove a blood clot from that arm. He won't pitch until at least the second half of the season. That is a big loss for the Tigers. Rogers won seventeen games last year, then he won all three of his postseason starts, and he was having a great spring before he went down. Without Rogers, the Tigers won't make the playoffs.
Randy Johnson, Arizona Diamondbacks
The Big Unit is one of the greatest pitchers of all time. 280 wins, six seasons with over 300 strikeouts (including one year of 372), a no-hitter, a perfect game and five Cy Young Awards. Yes, he is one of the very best. But Johnson is getting old, and his body is breaking down. He had major back surgery after last season, and took longer than expected to heal. As a result, Johnson made only one spring training start in 2007. He was very impressive in his March 30, 2007 outing, tossing three shutout innings and striking out five.
Eric Gagne, Texas Rangers
The Rangers knew Gagne was a long shot when they signed him this off-season. Gagne was the best closer in the National League from 2002-2004, when he saved 152 games, posted a combined ERA of 1.78 and struck out 1.5 batters an inning. But then Gagne suffered two terrible injuries, one to his back and one to his elbow, both of which required surgery and sidelined him for almost all of the past two seasons. As of March 31, 2007, Gagne was still slowly emerging from his injuries and the Texas Rangers decided to place the closer on the 15 day Disabled List to give him more time to strengthen his arm and get re-accustomed to pitching. The Rangers still say that Gagne will assume the closer’s role when he returns to the team.
These pitchers are essential to the success of their teams. They had better heal up quick.
