Doctors say the success rate of a second Tommy John surgery is right around 30 percent, which were the odds Mathieson was staring at when he woke up in a hospital room on May 15, 2008, and confronted his own mortality. Two years before, he had broken into the big leagues as one of the organization's better pitching prospects, and made eight starts before feeling a burning in his right elbow after throwing five pitches to Atlanta's Pete Orr on Sept. 2, 2006.
The ensuing surgery kicked off a frustrating battle with his body that finally culminated yesterday with his promotion to the major league roster, which developed a vacancy when the Phillies decided to place lefty Antonio Bastardo on the disabled list with inflammation in his ulnar nerve (elbow).
After his first surgery, Mathieson returned to the field late in 2007, then participated in major league spring training in 2008. Toward the end of the spring, however, Mathieson reinjured the elbow, prompting a second surgery that made him consider walking away from baseball. He decided to give rehab a chance, and made a surprising recovery, returning to pitch in 22 minor league games in 2009.
"If I didn't, I'd never know what could have been," said Mathieson, 26. "You get a taste of it, and it's hard to walk away from it."
This spring, he was optioned to the minors late in spring training after the Phillies decided he needed more time on the mound before he was ready for big-league action. He responded with 2 dominant months at Triple A Lehigh Valley, allowing just four runs in 29 innings and striking out 33 with 10 walks in his first 24 appearances of the season. He was 2-2 with a 2.43 ERA and 12 saves. His velocity is back where it was before the surgeries, sitting in the mid-90s and, on at least one occasion, touching 99.
