Career Ender

I have blogged previously about Chris Carpenter and the surgery he had last summer for thoracic outlet syndrome.  The surgeon has to remove Carpenter's first rib on his right side to take the pressure of the nerves than run from the neck down into the shoulder and the arm.  Carpenter had been experiencing weakness, numbness, and a loss of sensation in his right arm for a long period of time.  He was able to come back in a little over 3 months and pitch in 6 games at the end of the regular season and playoffs.  He pitched about like what you would expect someone to pitch only 3 months removed from major shoulder surgery.

Earlier this week it was announced that Carpenter was having a re-occurrence of the thoracic outlet symptoms that lead to the surgery, and that he would not be able to pitch in 2013, and likely not ever again.  Although this was not a complete surprise, given his injury history, it is still a disappointment.  Carpenter is one of the best pitchers in Cardinals' history and one of the greatest postseason pitchers ever.  However, he has had multiple shoulder and elbow surgeries over the course of his career, and these injuries and surgeries begin to take a toll on the body.  Hopefully once he stops pitching the symptoms will subside and he can have a normal life, although he will likely contain to experience some of the symptoms in his throwing arm.