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Pioneering Garrett Richards apparently survives scare as Angels blank A’s, 5-0

OAKLAND — The grand medical gamble of the Los Angeles Angels’ Garrett Richards appeared like it might have had a quick and disheartening ending against the A’s Wednesday night, but perhaps not.

The Angels were well on their way to a 5-0 victory over Oakland at the Coliseum, but the real story on this night was Richards and his attempt to make some compelling baseball medical history.

The 27-year-old right-hander was making his first major-league start since last May 1, when it was determined he had a partially torn ligament in his pitching elbow. It should have been a ticket to Tommy John surgery, but Richards opted to try an risky alternative treatment — stem cell platelet enrichment injections.