"There were many times in the last three months when I figured he wouldn't come back here, he'd need arm surgery or something."

It may also have defined the end of a long road back from arm surgery.

That was in a previous baseball life, before arm surgeries bruised his career.

Combined with arm surgery, in July 1995 he made his first minor league start since 1993.

Orlando Hernández has yet to pitch because of arm surgery.

The team's No. 1 player had arm surgery on April 20.

Ninety-five percent of cosmetic arm surgery is done on women, she said.

But that, said the pitcher who has undergone arm surgery twice in the last three years, is actually an incentive he could do without.

As a 25-year-old rookie just three years removed from major arm surgery, Rivera's role on the team was not guaranteed.

"How are you going to trade a pitcher coming off double arm surgery?"