Going into the All-Star break in July of last season, Cubs ace/basket case Carlos Zambrano was having quite the stellar season. In 18 starts he'd posted a 10-3 record and 2.84 ERA, but after the break there was a noticeble difference in the mercurial hurler. In his final 12 starts he went on to put up a 4-3 record, which isn't horrible or anything, but an ERA of 5.80 wasn't exactly anything to be proud of. Not to mention his WHIP was 1.23 before the break, and 1.41 after.
It led a lot of folks to wonder if there was something wrong with Carlos, and not just the usual problem of cramps or possibly fatigue. Well, it seems that Cubs fans can stop worrying because we may have found the culprit. Apparently Carlos has been having as tough a time seeing his fastball as opposing hitters do because according to MLB.com, Big Z is planning to undergo LASIK eye surgery before the start of spring training.
"My eyes have been bothering me for a while," Zambrano said. "I have to take care of that -- I have to see the strike zone good. It's part of my job. I'm not blind. I have good vision. But there's something wrong with my eye that has to be corrected."
Carlos also went on to say that glasses and contact lenses aren't an option because he doesn't like wearing glasses, and can't stand putting the contacts into his eyes.
Still, what could be the most amazing aspect of all of this is that it was Zambrano's right eye that he was experiencing blurred vision in, which is his "lead eye" while in the batter's box. Yet, somehow, someway, he still managed to hit .337 last year -- the highest average by a Cubs pitcher since 1900.
