First he heard the troubling clack, the sound of bone colliding with bone like two billiard balls being racked. Next came the pain and the concern that he’d thrown his last curveball, his career slipping from his grip before he was ready to let go.
Midway through the 2016 season, Adam Wainwright swung his right arm back as he had thousands of times before to deliver a pitch, but this time an unnerving sound cut through the stadium din. He heard it again and again, pitch after pitch, inning after inning, start after start, and even season after season.