Phils' Moyer faces a career-threatening injury

ST. LOUIS - For 25 years, Jamie Moyer has defied all odds. He has soft-tossed his way into record books, pitching well beyond any expectations ever set.

At age 47, his incredible major-league career could be in serious jeopardy.

Moyer will go on the disabled list with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament and strained flexor pronator tendon in his left elbow, Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said. He said Moyer would miss a significant amount of time, and surgery has not been ruled out.

Amaro disclosed that Moyer had been pitching with pain in his elbow recently. On Tuesday, Moyer was asked if the injury was suffered before his start, and he declined to answer. He lasted only one inning Tuesday before removing himself from the game.

"He had some discomfort in his elbow earlier," Amaro said. "It got to the point where it became a real issue for him."

The lefthander had an MRI exam Thursday that revealed the injuries. He will have more testing done to determine the severity of the injuries. Surgery could be needed to repair the ligaments and tendons.

If the sprain in Moyer's ulnar collateral ligament is severe enough, he would require Tommy John surgery. At age 47, it's not a stretch to consider Moyer declining the surgery and calling it quits. He will be a free agent after the season.

But Moyer had two surgeries this past off-season and returned to full health before opening day to earn a spot in the Phillies' rotation. The difference then was the injuries weren't to his pitching elbow.

"He's going to be out quite some time," Amaro said.

Moyer is the active career leader in wins with 267, which ranks 36th all-time. He is one behind Hall of Famer Jim Palmer.

Cole Hamels said losing Moyer would be tough.

"He's a mentor to all of us," Hamels said. "Obviously we'll be fortunate enough to have him around even though he's not pitching. But there's always something you can learn from him when he's pitching."

In the off-season, Amaro said he didn't expect Moyer to be ready for opening day following his four stays in the hospital over the winter. But Moyer was healthy for the beginning of spring training and won a roster spot.

In 19 starts this season, Moyer is 9-9 with a 4.84 ERA. He became the oldest pitcher ever to throw a shutout on May 7, a two-hitter against the Braves.