2nd place in the 2020 American League Cy Young Award voting, Kenta Maeda (Minnesota) returns to the mound after a year and a half hiatus. I run again for the goal of 200 victories in the United States and Japan. 안전놀이터
Maeda was unable to stand on the major league mound after giving up 5 runs in 4⅓ innings against the Yankees on August 22, 2021 (Korean time). On September 2, he suffered an elbow ligament rupture and was on the operating table, and filled the 2022 season with rehabilitation without a real appearance. In his mid-30s, he underwent Tommy John surgery (reconstructive ligament surgery), so he opted for definitive rehabilitation rather than his hasty comeback.
Now he is at the end of the tunnel of his rehab. Maeda plans to participate in spring training this year with the goal of joining the opening rotation.
In an interview with J Sports, a Japanese sports channel, Maeda talked about how he felt about finishing his rehabilitation and his determination for the new season. He has a slightly different feeling of rehabilitation than other players.
Maeda embarrassed the reporter in charge of the interview by saying, “He didn’t think rehabilitation was difficult.” Reporter Lee looked back, saying, “I saw a scene where a pitcher who underwent right elbow surgery in the past shed tears at the first catch ball of rehabilitation. So there may have been a prejudice that rehabilitation was harsh.”
Maeda’s answer, which was different from what was expected, came from an extraordinary resolve. Maeda said, “I want to return to being a stronger pitcher than I was before the surgery. So it’s natural to train and do proper rehabilitation.”
It seems that the toughness of hitting a home run in the next at-bat even after being hit by a pitch in his right arm in high school is revealed during the rehabilitation process. Maeda laughed and said, “My elbows sometimes pull when I throw them, but I just threw them. I guess I feel less pain than others.”
Now, after rehab, he is preparing for the real battle. “We’re having an offseason as usual,” Maeda said. He plans to join the Minnesota camp in the middle of next month and raise his pace with the goal of entering the opening rotation. With 97 wins in Japan and 59 wins in the United States, he wants to retire with 200 wins out of a career record of 156.