MLB's Career-Ending Mystery

A spiral fracture of the humerus has only happened 5 times in MLB history, and none of the pitchers have ever been the same. Tony Saunders, Dave Dravecky, Tom Browning, John Smiley, and Aaron Barrett had their lives changed by throwing one single pitch.
I did a deep dive to try and find the reason that this injury is so rare and so terrifying.
Go check out‪@BrianSuttererMD‬
His Saunders video: • He Broke His Arm Pitch...
Music:
• MLB's Rarest & Most GR...
Medical Journals Cited:
C. L Schachter, P. B. Canham, and M. F. Mottola,
Biomechanical Factors Affecting Dave Dravecky's Return to Competitive Pitching: A Case Study,
Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy 1992 16:1, 2-5
www.jospt.org/doi/epdf/10.251...
William J Reed, Robert W Mueller,
Spiral fracture of the humerus in a ball thrower,
The American Journal of Emergency Medicine, 16:3, 1998, 306-308,
ISSN 0735-6757,
doi.org/10.1016/S0735-6757(98...
Chapters:
Intro 0:00
Tony Saunders 1:26
Aaron Barrett 6:54
Tom Browning 12:00
John Smiley 15:22
Dave Dravecky 16:53

[@joshuapatrick682]

The dude who casually walks off the mound after shattering his arm and simply saying “get me to a effin doctor” is the Chaddest of all Chads

[@AndThatsBaseball]

I don’t know how he did it 😂😂

[@PTFVBVB]

chilling

[@the_mini_axe2817]

Adrenaline is one hell of a drug

[@andrejg4136]

He's probably using every ounce of mental fortitude to not drop to the ground and writhe in abject agony.

[@BrettShadow]

I hope someone is keeping track of that dude because that's no man... it's an actual demon

[@T_K7]

_Ah yes just the video to watch before trying out for the local men's league_

[@AndThatsBaseball]

If your arm is hurting DONT pitch thru it!

[@cutofthegib]

Good luck brother! Just listen to your body when it’s telling you something’s off 😊

[@Messy320]

Hope you made the team my guy!!

[@BrettShadow]

That dude just snapped his upper arm like a broomstick and walked to the dugout.... I hope someone is keeping track of him because is a demon and I'm terrified of him.

[@hasbulladaruler]

I cried so hard when you showed Barrett getting called back up the majors. Something beautiful about someone beating the odds.

[@AndThatsBaseball]

The way he documented his own return thru workout clips, updates, photos, etc. is what made that segment work. I’m so happy he was able to stay strong and win a nearly impossible battle

[@Bradleytosh]

Unbelievable

[@Bradleytosh]

Inspiration

[@rayneozier]

Yea. I coincidentally got something in my eye at that exact moment 😢 Very inspirational,

[@johnputnam7263]

Watched it live as a Nats fan. Very emotional 🥹

[@tylermccann848]

My dad has a couple of go-to stories from sports games he attended. One was what he calls the "Tony Saunders game". He said he was sitting up many rows behind the dugout on the first base side, and he heard the pop when it happened. According to him, it was louder than the pop of the glove with each pitch. He has said before that he'll never forget the sound.

[@AndThatsBaseball]

Everyone who was there says the same thing. That’s what’s so crazy to me. Thousands of people all remember the exact same thing.

[@csnide6702]

I had a similar thing happen to a teammate - as he hit the bag (1st) I heard a loud POP it was guys HAMSTRING snapping........ He was done for the year.

[@MScotty90]

@@csnide6702It's shocking how loud stuff like that can be. I snapped one of my bicep tendons while kickboxing about ten years ago, and when it happened it sounded like someone smacking two wooden boards together. I was honestly more shocked by the sound it made for the first few seconds before the pain really set in, like my brain was unable to process the fact that a sound that loud had just come out of my elbow.

[@csnide6702]

@@MScotty90 yee-owwww... ! That's nasty ! ... I hope it doesn't give you problems later in life.

[@CubeInspector]

​@@AndThatsBaseball we had season tickets when I was younger. Out in right field between the fair line and bullpen (it used to be behind the wall). About 6 rows up I think. We could hear it. It was bad

[@photobobomb]

I had a high school teammate suffer the same injury. I will never forget the sound of his arm breaking, nor how much pain he was in. Pretty sure he had to spend months in bed with his arm suspended and stabilized in a specialized wheelchair. It was horrific.

[@AndThatsBaseball]

Sounds absolutely devastating. Hope he made it thru that experience mentally and physically sound.

[@cuhhh1958]

This is exactly what I had to do for 9 months. Had to sleep in a lazy boy recliner.

[@kale1305]

I was an amateur pitcher in a Sunday baseball league and this happened to me. Ironically on a big league mound at dodgers stadium. This league has a promotional game that you could pay extra to play a game at angels stadium and dodgers stadium. I didn't grow up a pitcher but was always a good baseball player and athlete. My team wasn't very good and we didn't have anyone who could throw a strike, and I could, along with a little bit of velo ( for that level), and some junk. I pitched most every inning of that season for my team, and we played one nine inning game every week. I would give up tons of hits and walks and whatnot so it wasn't like a nine inning complete game was 100-110 pitches, it was like 180-200 pitches. So I, in my youthful vigor and naievity, thought nothing of pitching all these innings, my arm always hurt, but that was just the way it was. So two weeks after throwing a complete game in which I gave up 19 runs, I was given the choice by my coach to play the outfield or pitch in the dodger stadium game, and I without hesitation, chose to pitch. The single stupidest decision of my entire life, and that's saying something, believe me. I can't watch this video in its entirety because it reminds me of the most horrifying event of my entire life and it's not even remotely close. Bases loaded, maybe 2nd or third inning and I try to uncork my best fastball. I hear what sounded to me like a gunshot, and I see the ball go straight up in the air. My arm flops lifelessly to my side. My ears begin to ring as I go into shock. I didn't feel any pain for about 15 seconds, but the minute I see my arm turning back and forth on its own blown by the wind like a stick suspended from a string, the reality of what has happened to me hits and the pain sinks in all at once. I don't know what happened on that play. I am screaming in terror as I look helplessly at my destroyed arm. I walk to the dugout trying to hold my arm together with my other hand. I get in to the dugout and my coach says my shoulder is probably just dislocated, but I know that's not it. They call me an ambulance, and I ride for what seemed like hours to a hospital I find out later is very near the stadium. For the next hour or so I experience the worst agony of my life as they manipulate my arm on the x ray table. Spiral fracture, shattered humerus. Multiple doctors have told me they'd never seen anything like it. This was 15 years ago, and to this day I have a 14 inch plate and 14 screws in my right arm. Since then I can't throw a baseball more than 60 feet or so, and at very low velocity. It hurts to do normal things like opening doors or pushups. It is a truly gruesome injury and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. Seeing the first clip almost made me vomit.

[@AndThatsBaseball]

Thank you for sharing. Maybe the biggest tragedy is that this injury is common in recreational athletes who will never get the same well wishes or recognition that the pros get. Absolutely devastating.

[@kale1305]

@@AndThatsBaseball absolutely a pleasure to share. I clicked on the video wondering out of curiosity if the injury you were hinting in the thumbnail was the spiral fracture and sure enough. I appreciate you covering it and bringing some awareness to a pretty obscure and terrifying injury. I know mine was completely preventable, I'm not sure about others. But the advice I give to young baseball players is take care of your damn arm. You feel invincible sometime when you're young, and even though this is such a rare occurrence and isn't likely to happen to any person in particular. Every time you go out there and abuse your arm you put some fat on those once slim odds.

[@wolfpackonly5543]

How long ago did this happen to you? It happened to me a year ago same exact thing and I have tried throwing and pushups I can’t do either I can throw maybe 20 feet and my arm and elbow won’t allow me to throw farther do you have any tips?

[@kale1305]

@@wolfpackonly5543 I hope it's different for you, but it's been 15 years for me. I still can't throw like I used to. It'll get better I believe than being able to throw 20 feet. But for me it is a lifelong injury. I'd recommend strength training though, just take it easy don't overdo any workouts and eventually you'll see pushups and things like that get less painful and easier.

[@kale1305]

Also if you really want to throw, I've found that I can throw sidearm to a degree. Not sure why, but even with that I don't have much umph on my throws.

[@charismatic9904]

Browning going to sit in the stands with the fans in uniform is hilarious. 😂 absolutely love it.

[@AndThatsBaseball]

Great personality, people of Cincy and Chicago both love him for that

[@andrejg4136]

@@AndThatsBaseball as a Cubs fan, I respect an opponent that knows how to give and take in a respectable manner

[@peterf.229]

as a Reds fan that saw him pitch pre-injury , I found that hilarious when it happened

[@Tintelinus]

"From a very young age athletes learn to stay stoic" Except in Soccer lol.

[@brianhecimovich4488]

😂

[@choosecarefully408]

I'm giving you a yellow card for that remark.

[@slyguythreeonetwonine3172]

That's because soccer players aren't athletes, they are fairies! 😹

[@DelayedPenalty]

If my arm explodes while throwing a ball I am never throwing a ball ever again! The mental strength to want to do it again must be so high!

[@ButterflyBlood]

I was around for Barrett's original run and his return, but only cried about it come this video. Great work narrativizing that story.

[@AndThatsBaseball]

I remember Nats fans being excited when he came back, but I never read into it until now. He seems like an awesome dude and it's so cool that he made it back.

[@num8309]

My boy had the same injury last year. He wasn't even a pitcher! He was a catcher. The way the players describe it is very accurate. I was standing about 30 feet away and I heard a snap when it happened. The whole infield heard it. It's a scary injury. My boy had to quit playing because of it.

[@AndThatsBaseball]

Damn, hope his arm is recovering in terms of day-to-day activity.

[@sah4128]

John Smiley actually taught me how to throw my sinker accurately probably about 15ish years ago. He was always a really nice guy

[@AndThatsBaseball]

I was shocked that so little has been written about a 20-game winner. Guy was really damn good.

[@AHX214]

fuuuuuuck i wish i didn't watch this. 🥺 my heart breaks for every one of those guys. i can't imagine making it all the way to your dream, and then a freak accident taking it all away. not to mention the feeling of every pitch after that has to be terrifying. wondering if it will happen again. great video! i just really feel bad for everyone here.

[@AndThatsBaseball]

The Dravecky and Saunders stories especially are crushing. Glad you liked the vid!

[@kenw2225]

It's gotta be their throwing motion. It's so rare.

[@agoo7581]

What's so crushing about the Saunders story is that there isn't really any information about his life after baseball. I really hope he is doing ok.

[@choosecarefully408]

*That's what I was thinking regarding Saunders.* Imagine not only not fearing doing again what caused the injury, but doing it so hard that you cause it again? Ever been electrocuted or burned & thought "it's been a while, why I don't I try that again?" Me neither.

[@freethepeople4093]

Tom Browning is still beloved in Cincinnati!! Mr. Perfect! One of the greatest Reds pitchers of all-time

[@tylerbuga8066]

I suffered this injury last summer pitching in men's league, it's brutal. Also, you missed Zack McAlister who pitched for the Yankees last season after suffering a humerus fracture while doing long toss in the off season.

[@AndThatsBaseball]

I had no idea about that. It’s incredible that he made it back to MLB after 5 years and multiple serious injuries

[@tylerbuga8066]

@@AndThatsBaseball great video nonetheless! I'll be sending it to family and friends as a way of explaining what happened to me.

[@peterf.229]

I think an outfielder for the Cubs had the same injury too but idr their name sorry .

[@RealBlueony]

from what little I can tell about these, (and keep in mind, I'm not a doctor), it probably is a combination of coming back from injury/not being built up enough in strength, the whip of throwing over 85 mph to even higher in some cases after reeling back to windup and let it rip, and something that wasn't mentioned explicitly but should be noted, Saunders and Browning were attempting to throw curveballs. Which makes sense given the circular nature of the break, the humerus bone is twisting to attempt to catch up with the muscles and can't. To me it would thus seem most likely for this to occur on curveballs and sliders, and less likely on a 2 seamer or cutter. I would also like to bring up the screwball, and how common wisdom is that it's a great, devastating pitch, but can/will ruin your arm, even make it "fall off". Now, I'm not a doctor again, but is it possible that the screwball would have less of these issues because, at least in the upper arm, you're more going with momentum? I don't know. I do think screwballs would cause slightly higher TJ surgeries cause in the lower arm it does go against motion far more than the curve, but this is speculation. I will opine that the reason this has happened only once in the last 20 years is because 2 seamers, cutters, sinkers and splitters are far more prevalent than ever, along with better conditioning. In the 80s and 90s it was a slider/curveball league mostly. In the end, this is a fascinating subject and good video. Subbed.

[@AndThatsBaseball]

Smiley was throwing a curve, as well, and I think Landucci (the dude in the video with the sound) said he was throwing a change up. There definitely has to be something with the rotation of the arm while throwing breaking/offspeed pitches that can lead to this injury. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.

[@cuhhh1958]

@@AndThatsBaseballfalse, I did I throwing a fastball.

[@peterf.229]

it’s about mechanics of how you throw the ball .

[@cuhhh1958]

@@peterf.229 false yet again. Love the KZbin doctors who actually know nothing

[@Roggie249]

Personal opinion, it's a combination of that, mechanics (like how for example, Stephen Strasburg has that inverted V or W (forget which it is since it's been a while since reading/watching stuff on him) that helped him have devastating stuff but was also devastating on his own arm), and just dumb chance. The human body definitely is not designed to throw a baseball like these guys do. But it seems like one of those "it just happens" injuries more than anything when everything is so absolutely perfect that chaos happens, like a guy in hockey taking a shot to the chest and it causing the heart to skip.

[@BS-bv5sh]

When the summoning salt music hits

[@Shinobi33]

I didn't know Saunders broke his throwing arm the same exact way twice. Brutal

[@poyodiablo26]

Tony Saunders went to my high school, got his baseball card somewhere around here

[@erictaylor5462]

I saw the pitcher who broke huis arm so bad it had to be amputated. But that pitcher had cancer. I remember this story well as the pitcher was being treated. I worked as a security guard in that hospital, but I never met him or saw him. I did follow the story closely, and I remember quite well his return to the mound. Then we had our hearts ripped out on his first pitch when his arm broke for the last time.

[@josephroberson9551]

I'm glad you posted this! I had the same injury when I was 13 years old! The doctors never could figure why it happened. The only thing they said was I was probably throwing too hard at close to 80mph and hadn't built up my body at a young age. I was bout 5'7" 115 lbs at the time. I still remember trying to throw a fastball hearing the loud snap and the ball looking like a knuckleball behind the batter. My centerfielders said he heard the snap! Thankfully I recovered well and got to pitch throughout my high-school years

[@AndThatsBaseball]

Glad to hear that you recovered!

[@choosecarefully408]

Thankfully. Not trying to one-up you. This is a story about how we still heal miraculously up 'til I'm not sure what age. I sprained my ankle horribly playing tether-ball against someone taller than me. Landed with my foot fully sideways. Doctors thought the sprain was so bad I might need a cast. Also, this happened at camp & they didn't have crutches for someone my height. So I was semi-walking on it from about day 2 or 3 after spraining it. Two weeks later I was giving my kid brother a piggy-back ride. I was 14. At 23 I slightly sprained the same ankle on a very low leap, less than a foot. I never recovered & the next time I put _any weight_ on it, it turned so slowly I could hear the sound of celery being twisted. Must have done this over a dozen times now.

[@joshuapatrick682]

Tommy John should he in the HOF for that reason alone…

[@AndThatsBaseball]

Frank Jobe should be, think about all the value he’s created for mlb teams just by coming up with the surgery

[@bordomsdeadly]

@@AndThatsBaseball Tommy John allowed himself to go through an experimental procedure. Frank Jobe should be in the hall, but John had literally no idea if the surgery would work or not (and is also a borderline HoF case anyway) he should definitely be in the hall

[@peterf.229]

little known fact , Tommy John had better numbers after his surgery .

[@williamshelley1533]

Great job on the video. Probably my favourite so far

[@tibbsmcfish3056]

I always love finding a new baseball youtube page. Definitely subscribed now

[@bk_goatkim679]

Keep up the great work. Found you few years ago from the Rays history lesson. Hope you post more and more!

[@AndThatsBaseball]

OG, glad you’ve stuck around

[@KimP0612]

Excellent video. I can’t even imagine the pain of breaking a long bone. I subscribed!

[@prepballfan]

I met Dave Dravecky several years ago in Washington DC. He was an awesome guy. We had a great conversation and I got some pics with him. Great man with an awesome story.

[@JewsyJew]

This is an awesome and crazy video. What are the odds maybe you could do a part 2 and possibly reach out and interview one or some of these players? Thatd be awesome

[@julienmgastonmercier]

I’m like 30 seconds in, and I gotta say.. great video dude. Love this gnarly sports coverage

[@Pancho-villa666]

My dad suffered the very same injury in 1972, breaking his left humerus. 4 screws as a result.

[@SomeGuyIan]

I am a huge fan of Aaron Barrett. He went to the same college that I went and I kept tabs on how he was doing. Once I saw the video of him getting called back up, I broke into tears because I knew that he had that gruesome injury but I had little knowledge of what that injury was. I was just so glad he got called back up.

[@NoelG702]

I remember watching Saunders injury on Baseball Tonight. That was tough. I wanted him to do well because he's from my hometown.

[@JordanTobyBird]

Great video. Really unique idea. Great delivery! Had me in my feelings.

[@AndThatsBaseball]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed!

[@PatrickTower-ln7oi]

It’s tragic irony that this video got recommended to me as I’m currently recovering from surgery to repair a broken humerus in my right arm

[@EthanSchaner]

This is the most heartbreaking baseball video I've seen. Your arm bone exploding is absolutely terrifying.

[@andyparry7032]

man, I watched the Tony Saunders game live on tv, and even on tv the sound was spine-chilling, that was for sure one the saddest and shocking moments I´ve ever experienced, it was undeniably the pain that guy felt was extremely excruciating, I was a kid and couldn´t sleep well for days after that, that episode affected me so much I quit playing baseball for a really long time.

[@20quindex10]

How tragic. This is one of those things where all you can really say is, and that’s baseball… great vid fam

[@joen8529]

Love that Home song at the end. Great work.

[@masaharumorimoto4761]

Great video, earned a sub :) going to watch some more videos after the Jays & Yankees today!!

[@fromulus]

9:42 What's wild is I broke my humerus in almost the exact same spot when I was 14, but not from throwing. I was messing with my friend about something, we were on a walkway near wet grass. At one point he gave me a light push after he had gotten behind me partially. I took a couple of quick steps onto the grass from it, my feet went forward out in front of me and i was coming down with my body horizontal, I stuck my left arm out to try and catch myself, and my hand landed with my elbow locked straight, and the force cause it to break right about there and bend in the opposite direction it should, like a 90 degree right angle, the wrong way. I sort of bounced off of it and landed on my other side. The sound was loud and sharp and I'll never forget it, I'm 44 so it was a long time ago. I also have 2 plates, and If i'm remembering correctly I have 14 screws in there, bet we got the same kind of procedure, when I got it back in the 90's it was fairly new, I saw a video of one on youtube but haven't been able to find it since. Got a big scar running down the back of my left arm, about 9 inches.

[@fromulus]

Oh by the way that picture is upside down, the humerus runs into the shoulder, the forearm bones are at the top.

[@1neOfN0ne]

The amount of research, editing and just overall time it must take to make one of these videos is just insane to think about. Appreciate what you do man. Love these videos

[@AndThatsBaseball]

Thanks! This is my favorite type of video to make, finding as many old obscure articles and clips as I can about a strange and interesting topic. Glad you enjoyed!

[@KBonks]

You and baseball don’t exist both make such unique content. Keep digging deep! Love the videos

[@civil_leuthie]

I was at the Dravecky and Browning games. I was also catching the upcoming relief pitcher in the pen when a teammate had it happen in an adult league tournament.

[@CourtsideChase]

Fantastic video brother, not even a big baseball fan and still had me extremely interested

[@AndThatsBaseball]

I highly recommend becoming a baseball fan, but either way, I’m glad you stopped by

[@brendan9868]

One of the most important things to learn as a pitcher is that the idea of pitching through the pain isn’t the move. It only makes things worse. I tried that strategy and seriously regret it. I had professional training from like age 7. Was routinely going over league enforced inning limits and pitching full games throughout little league. Regardless of how the arm was feeling, if asked I’d just suck it up and say it was good. By the time I was like 13 I could tell my elbow was about to give. It would hurt almost constantly and I realized if I kept going, I was gonna end up being a 13-14 year old who either had a freak injury like this or would end up needing Tommy John. So I stopped playing, over the years it healed a bit, but it still does hurt if i try to like toss any type of ball around for more than like 20 throws. I do think it was the right decision, but I wish I wasn’t pushed so hard and that I didn’t just go along with it during my time playing. Baseball helped me come out of my shell as a kid, it gave me a lot of much needed confidence, especially when I would have a really good game and people would talk about it at school or it would end up in the local paper. So it kinda hurt to walk away from it.

[@jonathanmoody420.]

Pedro Martinez explained how placement of your plant foot and hips when throwing removes stress and tension on muscles and ligaments from the elbow/shoulder and greatly improves your chances of avoiding throwing injuries. Also Pedro was 5'10" and built like my uncle Joey Bagadonuts admitted to never lifting weights or having a intensive workout regiment but was able to avoid any major injury for the duration of his hall of fame career

[@bhood8]

This happens a lot in men rec leagues. Seen in person twice

[@Grey_Area]

Saw this happen one time in a mens league game. The sound is truly insane

[@BType13X2]

Saw it happen in of all sports Dodgeball, one of our guys had a great arm through really hard and you could hear it snap. Instantly said, "Take me to the hospital my arms broken." We had a league meeting where everyone was made aware of what happened and we all stopped trying to throw as hard as possible after that.

[@Setboy6673]

I can’t imagine going through all of that just over a year later 🤯

[@ssadler1121]

This happened to me too . Fractured my humerus while pitching. Was about 13 years old, such a freak accident i remember i couldnt believe it . Definitely was in shock for a few minutes. Thought it was unheard of until i found out multiple pitchers did the same thing

[@SirTylerDavidJones]

Great video

[@xandertralins3853]

this exact injury happened to me at 17 while throwing a bullpen, i haven’t thrown more than 30 ft in 3 years since. i was a right hander, throwing a circle change when it happened (i had always been more of a supinator). arm was paralyzed in some capacity for months, had to have a plate the length of my humerus and 10 screws surgically implanted. the break was so severe that it stretched/almost tore my radial nerve, causing the paralysis. also had my nerve repaired, and my humerus realigned, due to it having been displaced from the break. i was left with chronic pain, permanent nerve damage, and i can basically predict the weather now. none of my surgeons or doctors knew how or why it happened. apparently, i had perfectly healthy muscles and bones, and it was truly a freak accident. my mechanics were never questioned when i threw, and i had many coaches tell me that i didn’t need to change a thing. i chalk it up to a lack of proper arm care. i made some larger gains in the velocity sector, and i was told to train and condition as i had been. i believe i put too much strain on my arm, and didn’t have the facilities or tools around me to properly sustain my velocity or protect my body. all in all, destroying my humerus changed my life. not necessarily for the better, but i’m finding my way through the mess that is existence because of it. despite all that happened, baseball is still my everything. i love this game too damn much, and i probably wouldn’t have made it through the following months (or years) without it. thank you for bringing awareness to our freakishness, and i pray science finds a way to understand this injury better. if we’re lucky, maybe we’ll even find a way to prevent it someday. hell of a video, hats off 👏👏

[@AndThatsBaseball]

Thanks for sharing, I'm glad your love for the game has continued despite your traumatic experience

[@choosecarefully408]

Nerve _repaired?_ I'd often heard such things were thought impossible. Could you elaborate more on that one aspect of this please? I may have nerve *damage* & am getting zero help. Thank you. 😇

[@DTMJR1987]

My humerus snapped on the mound Junior year in 2005, never felt the same and college scouting ceased bc I couldn't throw Sr. Year. Shit was devastating but I'm surprised most 6' 160 lb 17 year olds throwing 88-90 mph aren't afflicted by this injury more often, especially the year-round guys.

[@AndThatsBaseball]

Year round pitching leads to so many injuries. Guys should be playing other sports in other seasons, but it’s tough to compete with everyone else who’s throwing year round.

[@draker5857]

@@AndThatsBaseballnever thought I’d hear someone agree so wholeheartedly. Travel ball encourages pitchers to overwork their arms when they’re young in hopes of catching a scout’s eye. Pitching both high school and travel ball is practically no shutdown, and there’s nothing that injures arms more than not having a shutdown period, no matter the sport.

[@stephen_cs]

Had a tibial tubercle fracture sophomore year of highschool. Fractured all the way through just from bodyweight. I'm just so thankful that there was an ambulance on the field for the game

[@Twheak]

Something about MLB story times that I could listen to forever

[@dredwick]

My man Landucci didn't even flinch... "yo, get me a fckng doctor"

[@joen8529]

WOW. What a sad, sad story. Edit… was talking about Saunders but wow, all of these guys... I’m a huge baseball fan and I didn’t understand this is what had happened to these poor guys.

[@andrewhollern]

My teammate had this happen to him in a game. He lifted often - and was in very good shape. On the first pitch a ball was hit towards him. He tries to throw the ball in to me playing shortstop to cut it off and keep it only a single when the ball went towards the foul pole - I didn’t personally hear anything but the centerfielder did. Later at the hospital - same spiral fracture but it looked like his humerus was smaller/skinnier than what it should be for his size (I was studying physical therapy in college). He said he felt fine during warm up and doctors called it a freak accident as well, although he probably never threw over 80mph.

[@Art_V101]

So many leftys,there has to be something about the mechanics of leftys.

[@harryparsons2750]

Maybe it’s because a lot of lefties throw side arm. Just a guess

[@Pocketrocket-pj1us]

14:00 Great videos. I'm not expert when it comes to modern editing equipment, or progtams but... Just a friendly tip. If you want to eliminate the pesky Horizontal lines, from your old VHS footage, use 'the 'Interlace' function on your editing software. It may not work, when you are using a copy of a copy but it worked for me, when I transfered old VHS tapes, to ROM files, or DVD's. Hope it helps. Keep up the Great work! Cheers from Montreal (Expos) Quebec Canada

[@BuccaneerBruce]

I was at the game in Kansas City when Smiley injured his arm. I was sitting in GA left field which was right next to the Indians bullpen. I remember him injuring his arm, and the sound of it sounded like a baseball bat hitting the concrete wall.

[@howardsonscementproductsin883]

Arm wrestlers get these spiral fractures quite often. It's a similar situation although, pitching, I would think is a bit more ballistic, whereas arm is more of a case of getting into the wrong position, not following your hand with your body and allowing the humorous to twist. I always thought they usually came back without much issue because the bone would heal stronger but I'm going to look into that now. Interesting video.

[@howardsonscementproductsin883]

I looked up arm wrestling spiral fractures, and one thing I'd like to add. A lot of times it's inexperienced arm wrestlers that get these. It's all about position in arm wrestling. In pitching I've often seen pictures of guys pitching, and when you see the elbow getting ahead of the hand, and the exaggeration of it, it's a wonder it doesn't happen more often. I mean, it's the only way you can throw 80+ mph, and I would assume that over time the bone of the arm compensates by getting stronger. But in most people it only takes 15 lbs of twisting pressure to break the upper arm bone.

[@thickerconstrictor9037]

I remember watching the Tony saunders injury live. It was the first year I really started watching baseball and it was at the very beginning of the summer. And I remember you could just hear him scream. That last video of the guy's arm snapping, he took that shit like a boss. Insane.

[@Hockeyfreak86420]

great video brother, as always. keep it up

[@AndThatsBaseball]

Thanks, will do!

[@mackst.pierre6997]

I suffered the same injury, spiral fracture, while taking fly balls pregame in high school. I was practicing throws from centerfield to third base. As I came out of my crow hop, I went to throw and heard a loud pop like a gunshot and my arm went limp and flung around. I walked off the field to my coaches who thought I had just torn a muscle. After 6 hours in ER, x-rays, and multiple specialists, all I was told was that the bone was perfectly healthy and that the force from my shoulder coming forward during the throw mixed with the surrounding muscles contracting caused the arm to break. I never played again. In my opinion, the cause of an injury such as this is most likely due to the throwing motion. I spent most of my life playing shortstop and short arming throws. In high school I was moved to centerfield and spent a ton of time changing my throwing motion to elongate my arm to create more whip…which would eventually lead to the end of my time playing competitive baseball.

[@peterf.229]

sounds like you had bad mechanics , but yeah I know what you mean tho , i played everywhere but catcher and can’t throw a ball now worth a crapola , likely my ucl is messed up but in my 40’s now it doesn’t matter

[@cerealissoup84]

Holy W music choice for the Tom Browning segment

[@RobbbbC]

Athletes are masters of adaptation and compensation. While they may not all have identified a preceding injury, its easy to imagine these guys silently and possibly subconsciously dealt with injury all the time. It would make sense if such a quiet deviation from their routine led to such injuries.

[@AndThatsBaseball]

For sure, especially pitchers. Guys pitch through pain all their lives because they know they need to be available. Could’ve been that these guys felt what they thought was normal soreness and pitched through it like they always would.

[@phantomf4747]

As a hockey goalie for 20 years, I have seen some gruesome stuff on the injury front. One of my defensemen got a spiral fracture right about his ankle when his skate blade dug into the ice as he was hit by another player. The muffled snap haunts me to this day. That was 20 years ago.

[@5TUNT1N]

I’ve met Dravecki at Oracle a few times, nicest guy! Crazy story and career.

[@harryparsons2750]

I remember when Matt Clement was pitching for the Red Sox and he got a comebacker to the head and he was never the same. He was having a Cy Young year before it happened.

[@EyesOnlyFreedomVid]

"his story is the most well known" *summoning salt music kicks in*.... the video is locked in

[@SconnerStudios]

Idk Ray Chapman seems like he got the worst injury, though I guess his might not count since it was a "permanent" injury.

[@AndThatsBaseball]

That was also like 100 years ago

[@ITzMLKsKiLLa]

Idk man id rather die than have my arm break, then dangle and swing around my body like that.

[@PhenomRom]

@@ITzMLKsKiLLayou’d recover

[@randomgamerandre7595]

NEVER WILL I EVER NOT MISS A VIDEO BY ATB

[@AndThatsBaseball]

This is a double negative but I like your spirit

[@smoceany9478]

you failed

[@user-wh5bn3ep8k]

Congratulations Tyler! So proud of you kid.

[@enigma7521]

Thanks!

[@NekuBlackWing]

Happened to me back in 2017. I used to play in an amateur league down in El Paso Texas and was a regular in our pitching rotation but I was getting plenty of rest in between sessions. But I had constant arm pain after and days leading up to the games I didn't pitch. Me being me just though it was muscle pain since I had just that year picked pitching back up. I was dead wrong. Started that game no problem and got 2 innings in. First batter of the 3rd my arm snapped and the sound that was described to me was a loud pop that everyone could hear. Next thing I knew in on the ground in pain with a limp arm. Took a large plate and several screws to repair it and I have never been able to throw like I used to, or even throw with out constant arm pain.

[@isaac_lejonet]

I'm eating bruh 💀

[@user-mf6bj4fe1s]

I’m scared to pitch tomorrow now thank you

[@kingtroll8363]

I still swear to this day this almost happened to me in college. Same spot these guys broke at. It felt like my bone tried to separate. Took myself out

[@Kushey4025]

Ill be completely honest ive probably watched 30 minutes total of baseball. But I love watching your videos man

[@andrewbloom7694]

1:54 OH MY GOD THATS WHAT HAPPENED?? I always thought his UCL tore, and it was a really wierd reaction to have, its not THAT painful. But this....yeah that looks like it hurts...

[@gradyjones7017]

Great video. Do you know what % of pitchers are affected by this?

[@SplicerOtter]

The fact that Browning, and Smiley played together, and experienced the same injury a few years apart, and Saunders nearly played against Smiley in the WS is wild

[@thedragonlee76]

The Tampa Bay pitcher...Well,the story was that he was doing steroids, and when pitchers do steroids,their muscles and tendons get so strong that the bones in their arm can't withstand the high velocity of the pitch and so,then,the bone breaks/snaps.

[@WheresMyInhaler]

Bro steroids or not no part of the human body is ment to be slingshotted and twisted at speed up in the 90mph. It could happen to any pitcher

[@SarahMaywalt]

I'd be willing to bet it is a relatively rare side effect of something they're taking. Perhaps something they're keeping secret. That might explain why no one knows why the injury happens, why it tends to happen after other injuries, why it seems to happen less now even though pitchers tend to throw harder (more advanced PEDs), and why it seemed to start so suddenly in the first place. Just a guess.

[@zach7193]

Well, this was something. I enjoy the content. Along with the other ones.

[@mattnic1480]

I’ve had the same injury happen to me. Unicameral bone cyst throwing. My arm was in half all I could do was scream. I had to wait 3 months for it to heal before surgery.

[@briancrawford69]

I broke my humurus in half playing softball. Just laid there and told everyone to call an ambulance once i knew it was broke. I was lucky because it didn't hurt really at all. Waking up from surgery and rehab hurt waaaaay worse

[@Deleted-oq9xu]

This happened to kid we played in U15 travel ball, the sound was like nothing I ever heard, you could hear it throughout the whole park, the kid barely flinched even though his humerus was completely bent, tough ass kid, hope he was okay

[@shawn9366]

Man what a great and well-researched video. Great job you have earned a sub from me!

[@AndThatsBaseball]

Welcome aboard!

[@justaregulardude895]

I actually don't watch baseball, but I noticed all of these injuries happened between the late 80s to now. Very modern considering how long baseball has been around. Is there any potential contributing factor that could exist in the past 35 years but not the previous 100?

[@tylerbrown4483]

Probably that in 1950 you could be an MLB workhorse with an upper 80s fastball. Nowadays you can’t pitch past junior college with that kind of velocity. And in some places you’d struggle to pitch in high school. My nephew’s u12 travel ball team routinely sees velocities in the upper 70s. So kids get coached and tinkered with from the time they’re 10-11 to add velocity. I don’t think this is fatigue or wear and tear related due to throwing too much too early. just that some people’s arms can’t handle 95mph and now we have a lot more people throwing that hard than we ever did in the mid 20th century. And if .01% of the population is going to have catastrophic bone failure from throwing 95, it stands to reason that the more people you have throwing 95 the more catastrophic bone injuries you’re going to see.

[@AndThatsBaseball]

There's a good chance that the injury happened prior to Dravecky but just wasn't widely or clearly reported. I found one other instance of the injury in an independent league in the 1880s. Elmer Foster was a Major League position player, but bounced between the NL and smaller leagues where he also pitched. He continued playing the field after his injury but never pitched again. That was the one other instance I found that's clearly the same injury.

[@McMannis505]

I had an avulsion fracture in my elbow while pitching when I was 14. Everybody told me the pop was loud as hell. I only vaguely remember a pop, all I could really hear was a ringing in my ears and a blinding pain. One positive thing came of it though, when I got back on the mound 9 months later I’d picked up 7mph on my fastball.

[@PhenomRom]

Isn’t that the plot to Rookie Of The Year

[@McMannis505]

@@PhenomRom it’s similar, yes. Became a running joke amongst longtime teammates eventually.

[@PhenomRom]

@@McMannis505 Did you continue playing baseball afterwards?

[@McMannis505]

@@PhenomRom yeah, played 11 more years.

[@thickerboi4616]

Awsome cideo ❤

[@Gabrielvz]

One of my biggest fears. Broke my elbow senior year high school. I was chasing the dream and then my world was upside down. 10 years later my shoulder and elbow don’t want me to throw anymore. Had to stop myself from pitching in Sunday league today, which I’ve never done

[@GameFanaTICK386]

1999 was also the year I retired from pitching in the Little League. Right after seeing the footage of Saunders 😂

[@TheBourbonWrench]

Welcome to the world of orthopedic trauma. Sometimes there’s zero explanation other than the right circumstances at the right time for the wrong player. Sad thing is most people don’t return to their former self even after far less injuries than this. Think of it this way; harder the bone is to break, the harder it is to come back from it. Example; breaking your humerus or femur requires some very strong force/weird phenomena and it’s unlikely you’re gonna be the same afterwards. Punch a wall and break your pinky? You’ll be fine. The strongest bone in your body exploding? You donezo.

[@Tintelinus]

I managed to snap my humerus in half by slipping on Ice. Learned a lesson that day, with enough shit luck you can break anything

[@SatchPersaud-sm1gc]

I remember tommy John, he use to pitch for the Yanks when I was a kid, crazy I heard people get it done without ever needing it

[@jonb2911]

I cried because I know the feeling. Of having the drive to want to compete.... but you are a prisoner in your body. and it doesnt matter how much you want it or how hard you are willing to work for it. Your Body has let you down. 6 surgeries in my shoulders, its permanent damage and now disabled. I used to play rugby, I used to lift. I used to be a warrior. I felt a piece of me die on the inside when the surgeon told me, "Do you really need to be strong, just get a desk job"

[@adambell5399]

That slow mo is brutal! 5:41