From Bad to Worse: Brandon McCarthy Goes Under the Knife
By Sean Davis
September 5, 2012; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Brandon McCarthy (32) pitches the ball against the Los Angeles Angels during the fourth inning at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-US PRESSWIRE
We all went to sleep last night hoping for the best and fearing the worst in the aftermath of the frightening injury to Brandon McCarthy. It seemed like there was no way he’d escape this without having some serious damage done. This afternoon the Athletics released a second statement regarding McCarthy and revealed that he had undergone a 2 hour surgical procedure to relieve epidural hemorrhaging in his brain and that he had suffered a brain contusion and a skull fracture.
It was a sobering bit of news to say the least, and this pretty much has to ensure that we will not see McCarthy on the mound again in 2012. There’s no telling what his future as a ballplayer will be, but injuries to the head and the brain are extremely serious and should not be taken lightly. Assuredly the primary focus for everyone keeping an eye on this is for McCarthy’s well being, and his career is a distant second.
Now the A’s are saddled with the task of trying to refocus on baseball as they head to Seattle, and try to get their race for the postseason back on track. This will be a much more difficult task than it was for the A’s to focus after losing Bartolo Colon to a PED suspension. This one carries a ton of emotion along with it. Dan Straily is presumed to be the one who will hold down the spot in the rotation once occupied by McCarthy, Straily was scratched from his start in the PCL playoffs with the Rivercats just in case. Between Straily and Travis Blackley the A’s should be able to bridge the gap left in McCarthy’s absence.
Once again as Brandon McCarthy recovers in the hospital, all of us at Swingin’ A’s will be sending out positive thoughts his way. No matter what happens, whether he is able to return to the mound soon, later, or never the A’s fans will always be thinking about September 5th, 2012 as a dark day in Athletics history. I know that I will forever have the image of McCarthy on the ground etched in my memory, and it’s frightening every time I see it. Let’s hope for a full recovery for Brandon.