Aug. 15, 1989

Last year, San Francisco left-hander Dave Dravecky developed a cancerous growth in his pitching arm. After an operation and a long recuperation, he tries to come back this year.

But more tragedy awaits the 33-year-old Dravecky. In his second start, he has a 3-1 lead over the Expos when his left arm breaks with a sound audible throughout Montreal's Olympic Stadium as he throws a pitch to Tim Raines in the sixth inning. He falls to the ground as if he were shot.

Dravecky is conscious as he's carried off the field on a stretcher and is holding his arm. "It was a sharp, painful pop," he tells trainers. "It was the strangest experience I've ever felt."

It is the last pitch that Dravecky will ever throw. His arm will be amputated, ending a once-promising career.