SAN FRANCISCO — His elbow was not shredded and his rotator cuff was not torn. Unlike many other pitchers who know the devastating pain of injury, Jeff Samardzija knew surgery was not going to save his career.
He also understand he could no longer pitch effectively with an ailing shoulder.
For much of last summer, Samardzija’s future could be summed up with one big question mark. In Thursday’s 1-0 win over the Colorado Rockies, Samardzija punctuated the victory with a gigantic exclamation point.
For the first time since April 20, 2018, Samardzija earned a win as the right-hander turned in seven dominant innings in front of 29,727 fans at Oracle Park.