As a sophomore on Sedona Red Rock High School’s baseball team two years ago, Joey Johnson delivered a pitch and instantly felt pain. When Johnson threw his last pitch in that game, it ended up being the last he would throw for two years.
Johnson went to see the doctor and was told that he needed to undergo surgery to repair his UCL, a ligament on the inner part of the elbow. The operation’s official name is Ulnar Collateral Ligament Reconstruction — more commonly known as Tommy John Surgery.
Tommy John Surgery has always carried a high success rate among pitchers and that rate has only grown as it’s become more common. One thing that hasn’t changed, though, is the recovery process. For players Johnson’s age, the recovery process means no pitching for two years.
“It’s a tough process,” Johnson’s father, Johnny Johnson said, “There’s a lot that goes into it not only physically but mentally. The mental part of it is as big as anything on the physical side for a kid his age.”
The injury completely ended Johnson’s sophomore season. He played basketball for the Scorpions as a junior. He returned to baseball during the abbreviated 2020 season, as well, but the recovery process limited Johnson to first base.
Johnson was also restricted to first base for the first six games of his senior season in 2021. But when Sedona hosted Desert Heights Prep Academy on April 13, Johnson finally returned to the mound.
“It meant everything to me,” Johnson said. “Baseball is OK but when I’m on the mound, I truly love baseball. It meant everything to be out there on the mound again.”
Johnson identified returning to the mound as his favorite moment while playing baseball at SRRHS. He thanked Andrea Bagnall, the Scorpions trainer and sports medicine teacher for her help in getting back. He also thanked his parents, Johnny and Michelle, as well as the Urgent Care people at the Verde Valley Medical Center.
Upon returning to the mound, there were some struggles, mainly with control. Johnson appeared in three games for the Scorpions and walked 10 batters. Control issues, though, are relatively common for pitchers returning from a long hiatus. On the positive end, he struck out better than one hitter per inning and eventually, got a greater feel. Eventually, Johnson felt that his control returned, averaging better than a strikeout an inning.
“I have less control,” Johnson said. “I think I throw harder, maybe a little harder but there’s definitely less control. It was a little rough at the start. But as I threw more and more, it just started to come back together. I started to throw strikes at the end. It felt good to do that.”
The lengthy recovery process from Tommy John Surgery is challenging for anyone, especially a teenager. Johnny, though, was impressed by his son’s determination and attitude throughout the whole two-year journey.
“It’s not like we live in Phoenix and you can go to the rehab place every single day,” Johnny said. “It took a lot of grit and hard work on Joey’s part to do a lot of it on his own and with his brother, Jack, and rehab the arm that way. The mental part of it is getting back out here and I think he’s done really well. I’m proud of him. It’s something you don’t know you’re going to go through.”
“He never complained once through all of it,” Johnny added. “He went and got the surgery done. He worked hard and wanted to come back for this team and have the chance to go to state. It was all about the team for him and he was trying to do his best for that.”
