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What happens when the players break? Dr. Pat DeMeo takes us into the sacred space of the Pittsburgh Pirates' trainer's room at LECOM Park to reveal the hidden world of Major League Baseball medicine.

Growing up as a Yankees fan in 1960s New York, DeMeo never imagined he'd one day become the Pirates' medical director and head of orthopedic surgery at Allegheny Health Network. With remarkable candor, he shares the unexpected path that led him to this rare position – one of only 30 MLB medical directors in the world – and the steep learning curve he faced during his first years with the organization.

Behind every pitcher's devastating injury or miraculous comeback lies an intricate dance between medical science and the business of baseball. Dr. DeMeo pulls back the curtain on how these decisions unfold, revealing the seasonal rhythm that dictates his work from spring training physicals to draft preparations and trade deadline medical evaluations. His philosophy remains steadfast through it all: "I don't represent management. I represent the player."

The conversation takes a dramatic turn when DeMeo recounts saving a man's life on the field during spring training, performing CPR and using a defibrillator while players watched on bended knee. He describes Jung Ho Kang's catastrophic 2015 knee injury as "the worst baseball injury I've ever seen – worse than anything in football" and details the innovative surgical approach that allowed Kang to return to play when the odds seemed impossible.

From AJ Burnett's transformative impact on team chemistry to the emotional challenges of forming bonds with players who might be "here today, gone tomorrow," Dr. DeMeo provides a deeply human perspective on medicine at the highest level of sports. His stories reveal not just the physical demands of baseball, but the mental fortitude required from both players and the medical professionals who care for them.

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