MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Joel Zumaya let another one of his famously blazing fastballs fly and immediately felt "a loud and disgusting pop" as he collapsed to the mound in pain, fearful that his career was over.
"It felt like my elbow exploded," the Detroit Tigers reliever said on Tuesday, less than 24 hours after the frightening scene in the eighth inning of a 7-5 win over the Minnesota Twins. "It was like someone took a hammer and shattered my elbow."
An MRI exam on Tuesday revealed a fractured right elbow, a diagnosis the team called "the best bad news you can get." The hard thrower will miss the rest of this season, but there was no ligament damage to his elbow so they are optimistic he could return to the mound next season.
The official diagnosis is a fractured right olecranon, which is the bony tip of the elbow right under the skin.
"I have never seen it on a one-pitch episode like that," head athletic trainer Kevin Rand said.
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Less than 24 hours after he walked off the field with tears in his eyes and his elbow cradled in his left hand, he was already able to crack a joke or two.
"This is another injury, and it's a freak one again," Zumaya said. "I guess I'm just a freak."
