Tommy John surgery, first successfully performed in 1974 by Dr. Frank Jobe on Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tommy John, has since become a common procedure for elite pitchers dealing with ligament damage.

For players who throw at the highest level, like Shohei Ohtani, such injuries are often unavoidable.

During his first season in Major League Baseball, Ohtani began to feel discomfort in his elbow.

For nearly three months, he attempted to avoid surgery through various treatments, but in September 2018, it was determined that Tommy John surgery was necessary.

While many players facing this situation experience fear and uncertainty—questioning whether they will ever return to the mound—Ohtani saw it differently.

He had already accepted that this moment might come someday.

And instead of focusing on what he would lose, he focused on what he could gain.

“If I rebuild here—compensating for the ligament with stronger muscles and making the right adjustments—I’m excited to see what kind of pitches I’ll be able to throw.”

Rather than comparing himself to his current state, he imagined a future version of himself—rebuilt, refined, and potentially even better.

“Honestly, that excites me more than pitching in my current condition.”

For Ohtani, surgery was not just a setback.

It was an opportunity to reconstruct himself from the ground up.

An opportunity not just to return—but to evolve.

Source

This quote comes from a Japanese book published in Japan and is not currently available in English.

Shohei Ohtani Feature, Number 963, p.18