"This is an injury that does occur at all ages of professional pitchers," Ciccotti said. "The results are pretty consistent regardless of the age group. We talk about age and we talk about chronologic age and physiologic age. There are some players who are older and are very youthful in their ability to heal, and there's no question that Jamie has all those qualities."
One of the key factors behind Moyer's remarkable career has been his durability. After turning 38 in November 2000, Moyer started at least 32 games in each of the next eight seasons, a run that ended this year when he lost his spot in the rotation to Pedro Martinez in August.
But on his last pitch of the seventh inning Tuesday night, when Jeff Keppinger flied to deep centerfield to end the frame, Moyer fell awkwardly to the turf and later limped off the field with catcher Paul Bako's assistance. Last night, Moyer visited with specialist Dr. Bill Meyer, who confirmed the Phillies' diagnosis: a tear of two tendons in his groin and one in his lower abdominal area. Meyer, who operated on sports hernias suffered by Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb and wide receiver Kevin Curtis, will perform surgery on Moyer within 7 to 10 days.
"You know what? You deal with it," Moyer said. "That's life, and you roll with the punches. I'm not going to complain about it. I had a good run here. My time isn't over here. I'm going to enjoy it, make the best of it, and be a cheerleader."
Ciccotti said a typical full recovery leaves a player with 90 to 95 percent of his previous strength in the affected area, which should enable Moyer to continue pitching.
