Procedure could have been known as ‘Nischwitz surgery’
Nischwitz said, “we were play- ing a night game in West Palm and I threw a screwball on Had he been a little more the outside part of the plate adventurous, left-hander Ron and I struck out Hank Aaron, Nischwitz could have become swinging. At the same time, I the first baseball player to felt this twinge in my elbow.” undergo what is now comNischwitz made the team monly known as Tommy John anyway, and was with the Mets elbow surgery. for Opening Day in Cincinnati
Nischwitz did play four when three days of rain wiped years in the majors after Fair- out two games. view High School and Ohio “Wes Westrum, who was State, become a successful the manager of the Mets at businessman in Dayton and that time, said to me, ‘You coached Wright State for 30 know, our pitching is backed years, so it’s not like he doesn’t up and you’re not going to be have achievements. throwing, and your arm’s not
He also admits Tommy John good. We’d like you to go back is a lot easier to spell and proto Florida to see if you could nounce than Ron Nischwitz. get it going.’”
Hundreds of players have Westrum also mentioned followed John to this surgery, a young pitcher in the Mets’ including the Reds’ first-round minor le a gue system he draft choice (and No. 2 pick wanted Nischwitz to help overall) from 2017, Hunter with his curve ball. Greene, who pitched for the “We think he’s going to be a Dragons last summer before good pitcher,” Westrum said. his elbow balked under the It was Tom Seaver. strain of throwing 100-mph “I said, ‘I don’t know who pitches. Tom Seaver is, but I’d be glad
Greene, rehabbing this seato work with him.’ son, has John and Dr. Frank “So I go down to Florida. Jobe to thank for his career-sav- My arm doesn’t get any bet- ing operation, which was first ter. I spent the whole season performed on John in 1974. trying to get Tom to throw
It could easily have been a better curve ball. He ends Nischwitz, who was with the up being a pretty good major Mets in 1966, and who was league pitcher, and I never pitching against the Braves in pitch (in the majors) again.” a spring training game. At spring training 1967, the
“A s I remember it,” Mets sent Nischwitz to New York to meet with an ortho- pedic surgeon.
“He said, I’m pretty sure I can fix this,” Nischwitz said.
The doctor said Nischwitz had an inflamed ulnar nerve and he wanted to move the nerve.
“I don’t remember if they did an MRI,’ Nischwitz said. “They weren’t that far along being able to diagnose the problem.
“I asked him what success he’d had, and he said he’d never done it before.”
Nischwitz didn’t feel right being an experiment, and in 1974, John — given long odds of success by Jobe — had the surgery performed that extended his career and could save Greene’s.
Another irony. When they were both in the Indians’ system, Nischwitz and John roomed together at Class AAA Jacksonville in 1963.
Later, Nischwitz returned to Dayton, regained his amateur status and pitched in the Class AA league.
“I had a long healing process,” Nischwitz said. “I’d pitch a game and I couldn’t start again for a week.”
Mostly retired now at 82, Nischwitz said he has no regrets about not trying surgery. “Tommy John is a cool name,” Nischwitz said. “Nischwitz is not a cool name.”