Sielski: Phillies minor-leaguer Jairo Munoz faces another challenge
Not surprisingly, Jairo Munoz was scared to death. It was late April, and he felt that telltale twinge of pain in his right elbow after throwing a pitch.
Not surprisingly, Jairo Munoz was scared to death. It was late April, and he felt that telltale twinge of pain in his right elbow after throwing a pitch.
Then his arm went dead, and his fastball did, too, and the dismal possibilities scrolled through his mind: that he might have torn a ligament or a tendon, that he might need Tommy John surgery, that his pro baseball career might be finished, that he might have to return to the Dominican Republic and to a life with little hope. And all of this happened just four weeks after a lightning bolt struck the house in which he used to live - the bedroom in which he used to sleep - and burned it to the ground.
"My mind right now is pretty good," he said in a recent phone interview, and, considering the circumstances, it was a fairly remarkable thing for him to say.
Munoz had been the subject of a three-part series in the Inquirer and on Philly.com in November, for his journey from the poverty of the Dominican Republic to the Phillies' organization - to a chance, however slim, to pitch in the major leagues someday. After a fantastic set of events led a married couple, John and Katie Durso, to take him into their Drexel Hill home and involve him in the semipro baseball team and charity organization they operate, Homers for Hope, Munoz had signed a free-agent contract with the Phillies.
He had pitched well last season at their single-A affiliate in Lakewood and had kept himself sharp in a Nicaraguan winter league before returning to the Dominican Republic to spend time with his wife, Nicole, and his daughter, Jairanni, who turns 2 next month. He has not seen the Dursos since Labor Day, when he threw five solid innings in Lakewood's season finale, when John and Katie took him out for a quick dinner after the game, then shuttled him back to the ballpark so he could catch a flight home. He has not seen Nicole and Jairanni since March 4, when he flew from the Dominican to Clearwater, to begin minor-league spring training and prepare to pitch for the Clearwater Threshers in the Florida State League. All of this was expected. All of it looked relatively promising.
The bad things started happening on April 2. That morning, asleep in their two-floor twin, John and Katie woke to what sounded like someone smashing a grill with a baseball bat. Amid a thunderstorm, a bolt of lightning had hit the second-floor bedroom where Munoz had stayed for four months, tearing off a guillotine-shaped piece of metal that, because of high winds, swayed back and forth between the roof and a set of nearby power lines. John and Katie were standing in their kitchen, discussing what to do, when the winds smashed the metal sheet against the power lines. "It caused a fireworks show in our backyard," John said. Inside the house, lightbulbs and appliances threw off sparks. John called 911, then called his electrician, who told him to shut off all the circuit breakers and get out of the house.
The roof began to smoke. Firefighters arrived but were helpless because the house's power hadn't been cut yet. After 20 minutes, the roof ignited.
"It's pretty traumatic," John said, "watching your house burn with no way to save it."
Over the next two months, John and Katie stayed sometimes in hotels, sometimes with family, sometimes with friends, all the while keeping in regular contact with Munoz.
Through his first four appearances with the Threshers, all in relief, he allowed one earned run, walked no batters, and struck out five in six innings. But in a one-inning outing on April 23, he walked four hitters, and his fastball velocity dropped from the mid-90s to the high-80s, and that foreboding sensation in his elbow told him something was wrong.
"I thought, 'If I get Tommy John [surgery] at this time in my career . . .' " Munoz said. "You never know."
He tried to remain calm. Munoz is 24, which is not young for a pitcher in the low minors, and he is not so much a prospect for the Phillies as he is a low-risk long shot. He understood what taking a doctor's blade to his elbow would mean for a pitcher in whom a major-league club had invested so little. He would likely be released.
The Phillies sent him for an MRI. The exam showed that he had strained his elbow. He did not need surgery. He has been rehabilitating since.
"He had probably exceeded what our expectations were, signing out of his situation," said Joe Jordan, the Phillies' director of player development. "That's why we're taking the time to get the rehab done correctly."
At least three times a week, Munoz talks by phone to the Dursos, who have moved back into their rebuilt house.
"When he hurt his arm, he was upset," John said. "I told him, 'You can let your story end now, or this can be just another challenge for you to overcome.' And he picked himself back up and decided this is not going to be the end for him."
The Phillies plan to have Munoz throw a few batting-practice sessions before pitching him in a rookie-league game within the next two weeks. They want to see what he can do over the season's final two months. On Wednesday, he threw a bullpen session in Clearwater, his first since the injury. His arm felt no pain. His mind is good. His story goes on.
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