Tigers' Nathan out for season, not planning to retire

Joe Nathan was the last player to arrive in the Detroit Tigers' clubhouse today.

The news already had broken that the last pitch he threw -- a fastball in a rehabilitation appearance at Triple-A Toledo on Wednesday -- would be his last of the season and, possibly, his career.

Nathan tore both the ulnar collateral ligament and flexor pronator in his right elbow, manager Brad Ausmus told reporters a short while before the veteran right-hander walked into Comerica Park. He will undergo season-ending surgery in the coming days.

But after those reporters crowded around Nathan's locker, as he answered question after question about the second major elbow surgery of his career, he talked about the journey he has made in the past -- from a Division III shortstop to an All-Star career as a closer -- and made crystal clear the journey he will embark on in the future.

"I will rehab and do everything I'm supposed to do as if I'm coming back to be a major league pitcher," Nathan said. "That is my goal, to come back and pitch again."

Nathan is 40 years old. He has a career 2.89 ERA with 377 saves, which ranks seventh all-time in baseball history. The recovery time from this surgery, doctors have told him, will be lengthier than that of his first Tommy John surgery in 2010 because, "I did a number on it," he said, in reference to the pair of tears.

Nathan's elbow had been barking for some time. He received a cortisone shot the Saturday before the regular season and hit the disabled list with a right elbow flexor strain April 7, a day after striking out Torii Hunter swinging to earn the save in an Opening Day win over the Minnesota Twins.

"The swelling progressively just got worse and worse," he said.

But he felt fine progressing toward his return, fine Wednesday warming up in the bullpen in Toledo and fine when he retired the first two batters in his rehabilitation stint on 10 pitches.

"Then the first pitch to the third batter," he said, "I felt something I never felt before."

He felt a pop, he said. He heard it, too.

"I knew something wasn't good," Nathan said. "I gave myself a minute to kind of let that settle in and tried to throw another pitch and ,obviously, that didn't go so well.

"I already felt the pop, so I thought, 'OK, worst-case scenario, it's already torn. What's it going to hurt to throw another one? Am I going to tear it again?' It's either I tore it or I broke up some serious scar tissue."

The warm-up pitch to stay in the game, Nathan said, "really, really" hurt.

He walked off the Fifth Third Field mound holding his right arm and underwent an MRI exam at the Detroit Medical Center on Wednesday, which confirmed his suspicions.

If and when he walks onto a mound again is way up in the air but, as second baseman Ian Kinsler said, "He'll make his way back if he wants to make his way back."

And although he will stick around the Tigers for the time being, the season-ending surgery all but closed the chapter on his tumultuous two years in Detroit, which included a subpar 2014 season -- Nathan posted a 4.54 ERA with 35 saves and a career-high seven blown saves -- and a couple of conflicts with the feverish feline fan base.

"My time here has not been easy, but it's also been pleasurable," he said. "There's tough times with everything. No matter what you do, you're going to have tough times. It's about picking yourself up and getting back up and creating good relationships even from things that start off bad."

Nathan signed a two-year, $20-million deal with the team before last season. The team likely will receive some compensation, based on an insurance policy, but it does not release that information.

In his last media session with Detroit reporters, the veteran closer of 15 years left a lasting impression of perseverance, a plea that, "I'm going to prepare myself to come back and play this game," and a promise that he is content with the chance that his body will not allow him to.

"I've been proud of my career," he said. "Proud of the things that I've done but it's always been about hard work and getting myself ready so this will be no different. I will prepare myself to get ready and bust my butt to see whatever's in store for me in the future."

Contact Anthony Fenech: afenech@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @anthonyfenech.