Ben Sheets looks like medical miracle in Braves’ debut
Ben Sheets didn't expect to pitch again. He did far better than that. (Curtis Compton)
Two years ago, Ben Sheets had a simple goal.
“I just wanted them to fix me so I could play catch with my boy,” he said.
He did more than that Sunday. He played catch with Brian McCann. He threw 88 major league pitches, exactly 88 more than he would’ve expected when his elbow mutated into some ugly blog of disconnected tendons and ligaments in 2010. He struck out the first batter of the game. He retired the last 10 he faced. He allowed only two hits in six shutout innings, defeated the New York Mets 6-1 and in the process likely clinched the next magazine cover – not of Sports Illustrated, but the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Sheets didn’t play catch with his boys, Seaver and Miller. But when it was over, he did hug his two young boys when they ran into the Braves’ clubhouse after the game, a scene he never could’ve envisioned after pitching his final game for Oakland in 2010.
“Honestly, in my mind two years ago, I was done,” he said.
Sheets was once among the best pitchers in baseball. He played in four All-Star Games in eight seasons with Milwaukee. He sent the Braves to therapy in 2004, striking out 18 of them in one game. But he missed a season after elbow surgery late in 2008, came back with Oakland, but his arm blew up worse than before.
Understand, this isn’t a simple comeback. Before surgery in 2010, Sheets’ right elbow looked like the after-shot of Kabul. The guy is relatively bionic. In 2010, doctors knew surgery was needed to fix a torn flexor tendon for the second time in two years. But when Dr. Keith Meister opened up the right arm, two other problems were confirmed: 1) a torn ulnar collateral ligament, requiring Tommy John surgery; 2) damage to his pronator tendon.
You don’t need to have a Ph.D or even excel in the “Operation” game to know that if a 32-year-old pitcher is having a ligament and two tendons in his throwing elbow stitched, tied and duct-taped, his next career decision likely would involve either starting a tractor or coaching youth baseball (he opted for the latter).
Sheets said when he woke up in the hospital, he looked and felt like he had been run over.
“I had an IV in my foot,” he said. “Doctors tried to get a tendon out of this [left] arm and it was no good so he wrapped it. Then he tried to get one out of my leg and it was too little. So he got one out my hamstring. I woke up, and I was wrapped here [left leg] and here [left arm] and my foot had the IV. Meister told somebody, ‘Ben’s not going to be very happy with me.’”
Actually, if Sheets was the winner Sunday, Meister got the save. He not only turned Sheets into the bionic pitcher, he convinced him to try this comeback, which led to him working out for the Braves five weeks ago.
“He was the guy who got me into this mode again,” he said. “I’m sure being the doctor who did it, he wanted to see some good results. But he was the one in early March who called me and was like, ‘Hey man, why don’t you get going again?’ He lit the fire.”
If Sheets has lost a mile or two off his fastball, it didn’t matter Sunday. He struck out Ruben Tejada on a 79-mile per hour curve ball to open the game. He didn’t allow a hit until the third, but got out of a second-and-third jam with two outs by retiring David Wright on a fly ball. That started a string of 10 straight outs.
Manager Fredi Gonzalez sent up a pinch hitter for him in the bottom of the sixth, which Sheets said “was the smart play.” He was coming off only an 11-pitch sixth, but this wasn’t the time to push a medical miracle to its limits.
Sheets wasn’t taking any chances Sunday. He even changed his locker from the seemingly cursed one in the Braves’ clubhouse — used by Kenshin Kawakami, Julio Lugo and a blur of short-timers — to one in a bank generally reserved for minor-league call-ups. Publicly, of course, he wouldn’t acknowledge the legend.
“No, it ain’t cursed, I just wasn’t comfortable there,” he said, smiling. “You couldn’t see the TV from there. I’m also closer to the [food] spread here.”
He’ll have the locker for a while. More games of catch will be forthcoming.
By Jeff Schultz
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
107 comments Add your comment
Alex Mo
July 15th, 2012
7:17 pm
Great start for Sheets. He looked like he hadn’t missed a beat. VERY impressive and just what the team needed. Hopefully he can keep up the good work! Go Braves!
JSS
July 15th, 2012
7:19 pm
Good for Ben
merbertmoover
July 15th, 2012
7:20 pm
1?
agent7g
July 15th, 2012
7:22 pm
Nice story for Ben. Let’s hope it turns into something really memorable for the Braves.
Columbus
July 15th, 2012
7:22 pm
Great game. Proves the Braves have more info and therefore know more than most of us.
Kramer
July 15th, 2012
7:32 pm
Great win for Ben. Now lets make a deal for another starter and get this train rolling into the playoffs!
GT ATL
July 15th, 2012
7:39 pm
Fitting Seabiscuit was on HBO right before the game today.
Congrats Ben.
Although as a braves fan I hope for great things I am sure you have reached a personal high you once questioned.
Sonny Clusters
July 15th, 2012
7:43 pm
We was very happy for Ben Sheets. Moving away from Kawakami’s old locker was a smart move and we suspect he may bring a good habit or two to the team. He was still watching the game after he got pulled.
5150 UOAD
July 15th, 2012
7:51 pm
Braves WIN great day
lovethosedawgs68
July 15th, 2012
7:53 pm
I don’t think I could’ve been more impressed with Mr. Sheets today! Very cool hearing that the family was there to see it all unfold. Very impressive curve and change-up. Used the change-up more than I remember. Congrats Big Ben and welcome back to the major leagues!!
Ole Smoky
July 15th, 2012
7:55 pm
If Sheets can can continue the good work..We might just have shot….
Dirty Dawg
July 15th, 2012
8:10 pm
Maybe with the miraculous, heart-warming, story of Ben Sheets, those damned sports ‘experts’ on ESPN and MLB just might start paying attention and end their blind obsession with the Nationals, the Mets and the Phillies. Not that flying below the radar isn’t satisfying, but you’d just like to feel appreciated. The Braves will likely need more but Ben’s inspiring story could very well propell them them into a particularly special season. Hope so anyway. Of course, whataya bet that ‘the story’ from the NY media will be how the Mets and Santana wuz robbed?
Jeff McDowell
July 15th, 2012
8:10 pm
Wake up Dennis Quaid..There may be another movie in the works…Great job Big Ben..
Jaded
July 15th, 2012
8:12 pm
Enter your comments here
Jaded
July 15th, 2012
8:15 pm
Sheets was a brilliant pickup. I didn’t understand why so many people were so cynical about it. This wasn’t like picking up Mark Redman off the scrap heap. Sheets has been a big-time major league pitcher, and I’ll take my chances on a guy who’s been excellent throughout his career. The only knock against Sheets has always been his health, not his stuff.
Delbert D.
July 15th, 2012
8:19 pm
Good story, filling in the details.
Shadowfax
July 15th, 2012
8:22 pm
I’m reminded of my favorite quote…(which I think I penned), “You will never get to the top of the ladder if you don’t reach for the next rung.” Mr. Sheets has reached for the next rung and now the top is only a matter of time. Great performance! I guess our Front Office does know what they’re doing!
Terrance
July 15th, 2012
8:26 pm
Congrats to Mr. Sheets on an outstanding performance. It was just a small sample size, but if he can provide us with at least six innings per start, I’m all for it.
Deja vu
July 15th, 2012
8:33 pm
There is no better story in sports or life than comeback.
Fan of the Game
July 15th, 2012
8:37 pm
I like the way he stayed in the dugout with his teammates until the game was over. Good job Frank Wrenn!
Dr Huer
July 15th, 2012
8:42 pm
Congratulations to Ben & the Braves! Yesterday, we were desperately seeking an arm to prop up the back end of the rotation. Today the Braves may have taken a giant step toward the playoffs and beyond.
kingdaddy
July 15th, 2012
8:46 pm
Fantastic article Jeff, really a great feel-good story if there ever was one.
Congragulations Ben and welcome to the Bravos…
Vain Jangling
July 15th, 2012
8:49 pm
Give us a hundred innings from here on out and we’ll all go home happy.
Dirty Dawg
July 15th, 2012
8:50 pm
The baseball world has to be impressed with the amazing, and heartwarming story of ‘our’ Ben Sheets. That’s right, Ben Sheets is, assuming he can keep it up, quite a story and he’s an Atlanta Brave. We’ll know more when we see the ‘experts’ at ESPN, MLB and FauxSports start paying attention to the Braves instead of only thinking about the Mets, the Nationals and the Phillies. Of course my bet is that all they’ll tell about today’s game and this sweep is that the Mets wuz robbed.
kingdaddy
July 15th, 2012
8:54 pm
Is it me, or are the Braves uniforms a shade of yaller???
Rob In Fayetteville
July 15th, 2012
8:54 pm
I wonder now where all the trolls are who came on and thought that signing Sheets was a waste. No, what was a waste was having to read through all the negative nay-bobs who think every move Frank Wren makes is the wrong one. Time will tell, but I suspect Frank just got us a top-of-the-line starter for next to nothing. Pretty good deal to me.
The Cold Truth
July 15th, 2012
8:59 pm
He did a great job and is a remarkable story but the Braves better keep looking. A 32 year old + pitcher with multiple arm surgeries is probably not going to last very long. Just saying….
Dawg Haus
July 15th, 2012
9:02 pm
Great post on a remarkable story, Jeff! I’m so happy for Sheets and hope he can keep it going. We certainly need him.
Sabermetric Meister
July 15th, 2012
9:07 pm
Sweet….let’s hope he has staying power.
mark grabowski
July 15th, 2012
9:10 pm
Me thinks Ben & Greinke were teammates??!! Would be a nice reunion !! Go Bravos !!
E from Riverdale
July 15th, 2012
9:19 pm
All I can say is wow and welcome to Atlanta Mr. Sheets. Let no one take your glory away from you for what you did today, you were remarkable.
puff
July 15th, 2012
9:21 pm
I used to not watch when the Braves faced Sheets as a Brewer. They had no chance. Today he didn’t look overpowering to that extent but seemed to have more ways to get guys out. Now, if the bionic arm will just recharge every few days.
Ghicks721
July 15th, 2012
9:26 pm
I went to reading the Mets Blog. Its a lot of fun! The writer was annoyed by how much the Braves hug and he made a Ben Sheets fat joke which I found out of line. And of course all the Mets fans are crying about those calls. Like mentioned before, their only no hitter was benefited from a missed call.
bravesgrl4life
July 15th, 2012
9:29 pm
Lets hold onto Sheets for a good long while. That way we won’t have to face him anymore. I was really, really impressed by him today and look forward to seeing him pitch again.
duronimo
July 15th, 2012
9:32 pm
I’m on antenna so I don[’t see the games unless they are on Peachtree. But from the video it looks like that famouis 12 to 6 curve was just like it used to be. His fast ball is a bit quicker than some of the other starters and it seemed to sneak up on the batters. His control was exceptional. Pretty impressive. It was nice to see Uggla on the bench.
da[01
July 15th, 2012
9:42 pm
I sat behind fans from New York. They definitely did not have any southern charm at all.
Billy
July 15th, 2012
9:48 pm
I didn’t have a problem with the Sheets signing to begin with. What was the risk? If it didn’t work, then send him on his way, and thanks for trying. But, so far, it works! Granted, it’s only one game, but maybe the Braves have caught lightning in a bottle! I hope it continues to work, and I still wouldn’t mind trading for Greinke, especially after he said he would sign an extension with the Braves!!
Pj
July 15th, 2012
9:54 pm
Interesting dilemma for the braves. If Jair and sheets pitch like they used to, do we really need to give up Tehran or Delgado for a starter?
O'Sheet
July 15th, 2012
10:09 pm
Was a GREAT pitching job Big Ben . . . Glad you are a Brave and hoping you stay with us a long time!! I bet those Mets were saying “Oh, Sheet” a lot today . . . Stay strong and teach our young guys some of your secrets. Loved seeing you sitting in the dugout until the game was over . . . maybe that’s something the other guys need to do, might get some ideas! Again THANKS Big Man.
Jack in Macon
July 15th, 2012
10:19 pm
We’ll know more after 3 starts. I’m wishing him and the Braves all the luck in the world. It’d be a great story.
Mike in Georgia
July 15th, 2012
10:34 pm
So nice to read a blog without the idiots who constantly “advise” us of how bad our players are, how stupid Frank Wren and Fredi Gonzalez are, how they know so much more than everyone of the experts in the baseball business. LMAO. During the offseason, it was Chipper Jones needed to go. He’s having a great year actually. Now, Dan Uggla, is to blame for all that is wrong because he is struggling with his batting average? Is that why we signed him–NO!…Mike Minor has caught his share of blame but he is a very good pitcher, not unlike Glavine, who is young and still paying his dues. You’re not going to get a Roy Halladay from day one naysayers! Go Braves and good luck to you Mr. Sheets. You deserve and so do we Braves fans (the real ones)!
Virginia Jim
July 15th, 2012
10:42 pm
Well done Ben. Hopefully, the younger pitchers on the team will learn a few things from his performance.
Peter
July 15th, 2012
10:54 pm
Wow fantastic… hopefully this is a new beginning to a playoff type rotation !
extremus
July 15th, 2012
11:07 pm
Great job by Sheets this afternoon. It’s a heart-warming human story as well, and if he can continue to stay healthy and pitch like he did today, his pickup by the Braves will probably be looked back upon as one of their all-time best mid-season acquisitions.
U Thant
July 15th, 2012
11:11 pm
“mutated into some ugly blog of disconnected tendons and ligaments” Much like this one?
Dr. Phil
July 15th, 2012
11:20 pm
Sheets could be the spark plug that this team needs. This is one of a number of very long and improbable shots that Wren and company have made in recent years. For Sheets and the Braves, I hope that this story continues. Great job on a great home stand!
Darryl Blackberry
July 15th, 2012
11:36 pm
Ben looks like the fourth or fifth starter we’ve been looking for. Now if we can just get an ace…
1. Greinke
2. Hudson
3. Hanson
4. Jurrjens
5. Sheets
Yep. That’d work.
JSS
July 15th, 2012
11:44 pm
Only one who could take a shot (instead of just the blog flow) was Mike! You know what they say… Well, you hit “submit” and just proved it!
Congrads again to Ben!
WAJA (AKA Mike)
Spud
July 15th, 2012
11:58 pm
I hope the Braves sent the guy that scouted Sheets a $50 Waffle House gift card. Ben had the best starting pitcher effort of the series for either team!
gentle ben
July 16th, 2012
12:04 am
great day for the surgicaly repaired! jj stand strong,huddy keep showing up.could be one nice story at year end.the young, the surgicaly repaired, and the second chance cat
,with hanson hanging tuff,not curveballs.maybe we make atrade i like minor in the bullpen.give boras and michael bourne 12-14 million.then lets suck it up and go get em’!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bama Fan #2
July 16th, 2012
12:06 am
Ben great game today and GOOD LUCK the rest of the season!!
GO BRAVES AN RTR!!
The Roadrunner
July 16th, 2012
12:15 am
Roy Hobbs. Roy Tucker from Tomkinsville.
Tami
July 16th, 2012
12:47 am
Outstanding effort. And….welcome to Braves’ Country, Ben. Glad you’re on OUR side!
Buzz Capra
July 16th, 2012
1:19 am
I liked this move the split second it hit my Iphone. Good move Frank Wren. Go Braves. Its time to surge big and take over the East.
Beau Bock
July 16th, 2012
1:29 am
So nice to see a positive column written by one of the resident idiot columnists. Shultz and Bradley could find a negative in the killing of Osama Bin Laden.
needing attention
July 16th, 2012
1:52 am
30th!!
Great article as usual, Jeff! These types of stories are made to order for your gifts and talents. I definitely see you with a future in sports jounalism
Gritsfalcon
July 16th, 2012
2:01 am
Great day for Ben Sheets and the Braves. Glad Mr Wren signed him after that work out over at Tech a few weeks ago! Hopefully he’ll be around for a few years as an effective pitcher–for his sake; The Braves and us fans!
BamaStExDawg
July 16th, 2012
2:59 am
What’s the work out over at “TECH” have to do with anything? Gotta find any good Jacket news nowadays I reckon!
clay
July 16th, 2012
3:45 am
It’s just one start folks. Let’s not get to caught up just yet. I’m very happy for the guy, but let’s see how he does in the second half and then we will see if it was worth it. I hope so
Whopper Dawg
July 16th, 2012
4:05 am
Great story, great start, great win!!
Pulling for you, Mr. Sheets.
1. Sheets Returns Strong ‹ The Daily Dunk
July 16th, 2012
4:27 am
[...] six scoreless innings and allowed just two hits in his first game in over two years to lead the Braves to a 6-1 win over the Mets. Atlanta has won seven in a row. Scott Rolen hit a 2-run single in the 8th inning to power the [...]
Regular Season Links – 7/16/2012 - Goodsportsart Blog = Baseball news
July 16th, 2012
5:59 am
[...] Ben Sheets looks like medical miracle in Braves’ debut [...]
bruce
July 16th, 2012
6:01 am
Jeff, Nicely told story sir… has to be one of my favorites, not thinking immediately of the others. Fun, classy, heart-warming, and a great intro to a man who might make THE difference.
Big Green Tribe
July 16th, 2012
6:57 am
He hit 90-91 regularly, higher than Jurjens and Hanson have hit all season.
joe
July 16th, 2012
7:50 am
Hanson is overrated( 90 mph fastball with no movement), Hudson seems to be less effective than last year,Jurgens( yeah, really), Minor, Delgato, Tehran… not as advertised ! I’d say a proclaimed stength is actually a weekness.
UPGRAYEDD
July 16th, 2012
8:01 am
If we could just add a Greinke or Dempster to the starting 5 and maybe another bat, we might just be able to pull this off. It’s still a long season, though, and injuries hereout will probably be a deciding factor…for us and for the Nationals. The team that stays healthy is the team that plays into November.
coloradofalconsfan
July 16th, 2012
8:01 am
Sheets did great. Excellent story. Way to go! But we don’t need him to be great the rest of the way if we keep hitting & scoring like we did this series. We just need quality starts from all our starters. If McCann, JHey, Freeman & Uggla all hit better in 2nd half we should be right there. Rather than mortgaging the future on another starter, I’d rather see Braves improve the pinch hitting and perhaps middle relief through smaller deals. A guy like Giambi would be a good pick-up and shouldn’t have to give up high prospects.
AlanFalcon
July 16th, 2012
8:06 am
Even if he doesn’t pitch another game he has shown everyone around him that it can be done, lets hope for continued sucess.
lee maye
July 16th, 2012
8:17 am
Greinke and Sheets do have the same agent. That might help the Braves’ chances if Greinke really wants to be a Brave. Orlando ties and Braves training in Orlando at Disney might give Braves the edge. And, Greinke attended Apopka High, which is not far from Disney. Not to mention, Dad Don was a longtime teacher in Orange County (Orlando).
Supes
July 16th, 2012
8:25 am
Jeff,
great read keep up the good work.
Congrats to Ben Sheets on this incredible comeback…I am tempering down my expectations but I was cheering for him all the way Looking forward to the next start. It’ll be nice to have some consistency out of that spot in the rotation for once (all year it’s been one good followed by one bad start, etc).
Great to see the Braves expanding their ‘avenues’ and giving him a chance (if it works great, if not we’ll be alright and didn’t have to give up any players to get him).
Rothschild
July 16th, 2012
8:33 am
Good for him. Hope he continues to amaze.
ragnar danneskjold
July 16th, 2012
8:48 am
Amazing.
Perks101
July 16th, 2012
8:50 am
Pick about five of our best minor league prospects and you will see what Ben Sheets just saved our team with his miracle comeback story. Of course, this is assuming that he stays healthy and I do pray that he stays healthy! Great job Mr. Sheets, Great job!
longtimefan
July 16th, 2012
9:02 am
Where are all the experts spouting their usual FW is an idiot BS? If Sheets continues to pitch anything like last night we have added an experienced starter without literally giving up the Farm. Pretty savvy deal by Wren. These are the same skeptics who wanted to get rid of Chipper (batting .317 with almost .400 on base and power), thought Heyward was washed up and should be traded for a bag of balls and are now ragging on Uggla. It’s time for some of you “experts” to admit you really don’t know jack about judging talent and leave the decisions up to the real experts.
graphite
July 16th, 2012
9:12 am
Just a flash in the pan. Still the best team in the 2nd. division, just like the puppy Dawgs.
JDATL
July 16th, 2012
9:32 am
I guess I’m glad for him, but what if it happens again. Is it worth it, just to help the braves go one and done again.
Ken Stallings
July 16th, 2012
10:27 am
It’s always full cool when a good guy gets a second chance to do something he loves doing! I’m sure it was a fun time in the locker room after the game.
BigGTMike
July 16th, 2012
10:36 am
Why would you have anyone operate on your arm that is not named James Andrews? Glad Ben Sheets is here and healthy. Here’s to the future!
Way to go Ben!
July 16th, 2012
10:39 am
Great story here!!! Hope the Bravos can “ride” this momentum and story the rest of the year.
Dawglasville
July 16th, 2012
10:40 am
It’s one game but it could not have gone better. Congrats to Sheets for his courage and his hard work.
This has been the streakiest year and a half in Braves history. Is this the manager’s fault? I don’t know. It feels good winning 7 in a row. I’m just afraid that losing 7 in a row is just around the corner. Win or lose, homer ’til I die. Go Braves.
a fan
July 16th, 2012
10:41 am
well at least the two morons graphite & JDATL waited till the end to write their negative garbage, here’s betting Sheets wins at least 5 or 6 more.
Dre
July 16th, 2012
10:43 am
Less than two months until real sports start again….!
D man
July 16th, 2012
10:48 am
That’s a great story. Sounds like a good movie script.
Don
July 16th, 2012
11:06 am
It will be a MIRACLE if Sheets can pitch in the Braves current situation for any extended length of time and not be INJURED again.
Why would any Pitcher (whether he had been previously injured or not) want to sign with this “INJURY MILL” for Pitchers??????
Skeezix
July 16th, 2012
11:24 am
Jeff: Great inspirational story for us all! I believe it is stuff like this that would make a great baseball movie.
Thanks!
Clydesdale
July 16th, 2012
11:43 am
Sheets did not look like a 5 guys(and a few gals). He looked like a 2 to me. We could still use a 1. And yes we need to trade unproven youth for a real 1. I give this team a 70% chance of making the playoffs as constructed, a 10% chance of the world series, and 1 percent chance of winning the world series. 5 good pitchers are not as important as 2 dominant pitchers come playoff time.
What We’re Reading (7/16) | Smokies Radio Network
July 16th, 2012
11:58 am
[...] – Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Braves’ Sheets a Medical Marvel [...]
joshua
July 16th, 2012
12:02 pm
Clay,
If had his arm blown out in the 2nd inning, it was already worth it. I mean we have a guy whoh has been a legitimate front-line starter for years that we got for next to nothing. Under no circumstances could this ever be construed as “not worth it”. If Sheets pitches solid for the remainder of the season, then it goes from a frugal move with high potential upside and no risk to a genius stroke of good fortune. That is all son.
joshua
July 16th, 2012
12:06 pm
Don,
At least you have the guts to keep posting under your normal alias instead of making up some cutesy screen name like “The Cold Truth” when you’ve been proven to be stupidly wrong – I give you credit for that much.
My question is this: if you guys don’t like the Braves, Frank Wren, Fredi Gonzalez, or any aspect of how the team is constructed or run, you may simply not follow them. It’s pretty simple. That’s what I do when I don’t like something.
DawgDad
July 16th, 2012
12:50 pm
“Maybe with the miraculous, heart-warming, story of Ben Sheets, those damned sports ‘experts’ on ESPN and MLB just might start paying attention and end their blind obsession with the Nationals, the Mets and the Phillies.”
According to ESPN radio, the #1 sports story today was the Knicks attempt to re-sign Lin. The National media is not truly National (dare I say “a farce”); it caters to the media centers.
59bulldawg
July 16th, 2012
12:54 pm
Kingdaddy, they are! It’s not their bright whites but more an ivory or cream colored uni. I think it’s an attempt to pay tribute to their Milwaukee days. I like ‘em though! But I like them all . . . except the red orange ones.
Paquet du 10
July 16th, 2012
1:04 pm
As usual Schultz…..You are full of Sheets
Braves in last palce by Spet 1
July 16th, 2012
1:35 pm
AHAHAHAHA…That funy!
BBQ MAN
July 16th, 2012
2:17 pm
at some point, he will have an off day, as all pitchers do and then all of the boobirds will start yelling for his head. atlanta fans are so fickle
Keith
July 16th, 2012
2:59 pm
This signing and performance (albeit further performances needed) puts Frank Wren to the forefront as GM of the year.
Another trade for a bonafide starter will land him the award.
GO BRAVES!
Pepe Frias
July 16th, 2012
3:24 pm
He is no Preston Hanna but he’ll do.
john
July 16th, 2012
4:53 pm
kenakawi’s locker should be burned in the parking lot
nashvillewill
July 16th, 2012
9:06 pm
Sheets is certainly a great story. But, let’s calm down. One start does not a season make. His next start will be instructive and the one after that and if he’s the same guy, then we might want to get excited. Also, Braves still don’t really have a Number 1 starter. Hudson no longer looks like the ace and with Beachy gone it’s a problems. Uggla can’t hurt the team when he doesn’t play. Still an issue, when he does. Other than that, I like Braves chances versus the Nats. Looking forward to the Giants series.
Skeezix
July 16th, 2012
9:46 pm
I don’t blame anyone for not wanting K.K.’s old locker.
Cecil Upshaw's finger
July 17th, 2012
1:03 am
Congrats to Ben. I hope his arm holds up for awhile. It’d not only be a great story for baseball, but fantastic for the Braves. Heck, 75% of what he used to be would be better than any starter whose name doesn’t start with ‘H’…based on the last two starts, maybe one of the ‘H’s, too!
AWOL
July 17th, 2012
4:48 am
Good for Ben….His doctor, Keith Meister, is the current ortho for the Texas Rangers and has been team the team doctor for UF football UTex football, USA hockey and many more teams. He trained under Dr. Andrews earlier in his career…both of those doctors repaired my son’s ACL after a football injury. I have no doubt that the repair work for Ben’s elbow will help him be successful in the bigs one more time.
urban redneck
July 17th, 2012
9:15 am
comeback player of the year if he keeps it up…………go bravos!!!
Jordan
July 17th, 2012
9:07 pm
http://pickens.fetchyournews.com/archives/1960-My-Bad,-Ben-A-Sincere-Apology-to-Mr.-Sheets.html
Important Homestand for the Washington Nationals | Blog So Hard Sports
July 18th, 2012
1:10 pm
[...] he saw his ERA jump nearly a full run from 2.91 to 3.89. He will be going against Ben Sheets, who just won his first start in over two years in a 6-1 victory over the Mets this past [...]
Ought to be a bounty on Melky
July 19th, 2012
3:30 pm
Somebody ought to put a bounty on taking Melky out of the game……some really close “Chin Music” ought to get his attention real quick…….what a absolute JERK.
Fast Ball
July 20th, 2012
10:36 am
Can’t wait to see him shut out the Gnats !
LIVE: Braves now hoping fallback plan can carry them | Jeff Schultz
July 28th, 2012
6:16 pm
[...] the Braves making it to the postseason depends on: 1) Hudson’s ability to stay healthy: 2) Sheets continuing to defy medical logic (one earned run in 18 innings after major surgery and semi-retirement); 3) Hanson straightening out [...]