Troy Barton was at home a day or two removed from his first surgery in his life — Tommy John Surgery.

His right arm was swollen like a balloon at a birthday party, but no one was celebrating at the Barton residence.

The numbness wore off from the surgery that was performed on Feb. 22, 2013, and Barton woke up feeling the first real pain of his life.

“I watch shows and movies, and people get stabbed or cut with a knife, and I never really thought that hurt until I had the surgery and I didn’t even experience the original cut,” Barton said. “It felt like someone took a knife and ripped it right open.”

A surgeon did cut into his right arm, as the ulnar collateral ligament in Barton’s right elbow was torn less than two weeks before his surgery during practice.

It was the middle of February, with the Eastern baseball team a little more than a week away from starting its season, when Barton’s teammate and roommate told him to take one more pitch.

George Kalousek, who was in the Eastern bullpen in 2013, was umpiring during a practice, when Barton threw a curveball.

“I turned to my roommate behind me and told him, ‘I think I tore my elbow,’” Barton said.

Kalousek, who was not the loudest person on the team, responded quickly.

“Throw another pitch and you’ll know,” Kalousek told Barton.

It’s not so much the pain that let’s a pitcher know when he is injured, Barton said, a pitcher knows how hard he throws and when something is not right in the arm that velocity that is easy to reach all of a sudden is gone.

“I threw another pitch and it was 70 mph,” Barton said. “I kind of knew I would need Tommy John right away.”

The right-handed pitcher is not an overpowering thrower, but he had been reaching 90 mph consistently. Barton had to wait for almost a year to reach that velocity again.

Troy’s father John Barton had seen his son play a season of baseball for 15 straight years prior to 2013. On Feb. 6, 2013, John talked with Troy and found out about the injury, but the bad news was not official for another five days.

Eastern baseball coach Jim Schmitz was four days away from starting the season against Texas Southern on Feb. 15.

On a Monday, Schmitz, Troy and John Barton found out the devastating results from Troy’s MRI of his right elbow.

But Barton did not want to dwell on the injury, immediately asking and finding out where he could get surgery the soonest.

“It only took him about a minute to say in a very positive way, ‘Get me into surgery as quick as possible, so I can be back on the mound opening weekend 2014,’” John Barton said after Troy called him following the MRI.

John Barton was by his son’s side through every step of the process, offering support from the first call made to throwing with Troy during the summer to keep him on track during the rehab.

After feeling the after effects of his Tommy John Surgery, Troy had to wait for about four months to throw again.

His right arm was at a 90-degree angle and all he could do for the first couple of weeks of his rehab was work on bending and extending his arm.

Not only had Troy Barton played baseball for 15 years in a row, but also he had never had to spend more than a couple of weeks not pitching either.

After his surgery, Troy waited until the summer to throw — not pitch — just throw. No mound, no game, no other players. But he finally knew he was on his way back.

His father counted everything for Troy, as the first part of the rehab is simply stretching, extending and bending the arm. Then, when a pitcher is allowed to throw, there are a set number of pitches that have to be thrown. No more. No less.

Troy was getting impatient during the rehab process, wanting to throw, but his trainer Matt Repa did not cave.

“I kept begging him to throw and throw and throw at three months, but I had to wait,” Barton said. “It’s horrible. You never think you’re going to throw, four months that’s one-third of the year that you’re not throwing. I’ve never had to wait that long.”

Troy was at home during the summer for the first time since he arrived at Eastern last year. There, he continued to work with his trainer and then the day came when he was finally able to throw for the first time since injuring his elbow.

Troy said he was excited, happy to get to throw again, but his dad remembers an emotional summer day after his son threw from 45 feet for the first time.

“He cried, as did his mom and me because Troy now proved he was able to do what he loved the most: Throw a baseball,” John Barton said. “That moment signified that the bad times were behind Troy, and the good days were ahead.”

The progression was slow for Troy, as the first time he threw was only 20 pitches, but it was better than nothing for him.

“It went slow, as I threw from 40 feet for two weeks, 60 feet for two weeks, 90 feet for three weeks, but it was awesome, I loved it,” Troy said. “You pretty much have to teach your arm how to throw again. You know how, but your arm doesn’t know how.”

The summer continued, with Troy working his trainer and his dad.

“(John Barton) would make sure every throw was good, he would videotape me to see how my arm looked, so I could watch it, he would count how many throws and how many times I extended and bended my arm during the first couple of weeks,” Troy said.

The fall semester began, with Troy still on track, but with not many people thinking he could return by the start of the 2014 season.

One person who did believe was his father.

“When he went back to school in the fall, we talked or texted every day, and I could tell from 230 miles away how Troy’s demeanor, confidence and determination were working for him,” John said.

Troy did not pitch off of a mound until the fall, as the team was getting ready for the season.

A couple of more months passed until starting the season in the Panthers’ rotation was a viable option.

Since Feb. 11, 2013, when he found out that he would need Tommy John Surgery, Troy had one goal in mind: Make it back by the opening weekend of 2014.

During winter break, he went back home and pitched even more with his long-time pitching coach, who has been working with Troy since he was 12.

“I threw 50 pitches and I said, ‘I think I can come back and start, I think I can come back and pitch weekend No. 1,’” Troy said. “Our catcher Jacob Reese came up to me said, ‘You’re going to start aren’t you?’ and I said, ‘That’s the goal. That’s been my goal since the surgery — come back and start week one.’”

Louisiana-Lafayette was ranked in the top-20 on Feb. 16, when in front of 3,211 fans in Moore Field, Troy made his first start since May 24, 2012, and made his return 51 weeks after his surgery.

“They hit the s*** out of the ball,” Troy said. “They hit the ball so far. They’re the best hitting team I’ve seen in college. I just didn’t do as well as I wanted, but that’s all right. I’ve come a long since then.”

He pitched two innings, allowing four runs, with only one being earned, but despite not pitching as well as he had wished, Troy accomplished his goal. He returned, with no setbacks during his arm rehab, getting the chance to do what he loves to do — pitch.

Troy is no longer a starter for Eastern, as he has been moved to the bullpen as the team’s closer, but he still has more to prove to himself.

“I just feel like when I throw a ball and it comes out pretty hard I’m like, ‘That was hard, but I have more in me,’” Troy said. “If a pro has Tommy John, they don’t come back for a year and a half, I came back in a year. There’s still so much time that I have until my arm is 100 percent.”

Aldo Soto can be reached at 581-2812 or asoto2@eiu.edu.