ATLANTA (AP) - John Smoltz knew the pain was too intense to keep pitching this season.
Now, the Atlanta Braves right-hander hopes to add one more comeback to his remarkable career.
Smoltz will undergo season-ending surgery on his ailing right shoulder next week, but the 41-year-old is not ready to concede his next move is retirement.
Smoltz said today, "I've pulled off a lot of miracles. I probably shouldn't have played this long. I'm looking forward to seeing if I can extend it."
The only pitcher in baseball history with 200 wins and 150 saves already has returned from four operations on his elbow, but it's highly improbable for someone his age to come back from a major procedure. No wonder the news conference took on the tenor of a retirement announcement.
General manager Frank Wren said, "This is a sad day for us in many ways. We don't know the outcome of the surgery, whether it will allow him to come back and pitch, or just allow him to go on with his life."
Still, Smoltz has defied the odds before.
Smoltz's shoulder began hurting nearly a year ago during a start in Milwaukee. He's been on the disabled list three times since then and tried all sorts of radical solutions to cope with the pain.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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