A torn medial collateral ligament has put John Smoltz on the sidelines for the season, casting a shadow on the Atlanta Braves' hopes of returning to the World Series. He hopes the reconstructive surgery, set for March 23, will give him three or four more years of pitching.
Wood is on the verge of returning to the game.
Thanks to this advance in modern medicine, Wood will be back in the Cubs bullpen this season. Missing an entire season may seem devastating, but the same injury 26 years ago would have ended a pitcher's career. Instead of just making up something, Jobe made history. Jobe extracted a tendon from John's right arm and used it to replace the torn ligament on his left, pitching arm, threading the healthy tendon through holes drilled into the bone above and below the elbow. Without Jobe's help, John would never have pitched another baseball.