Doc: After Yankees' Bartolo Colon, 10 More Pitchers Want Stem Cell Procedure
NEW YORK (WFAN/AP) -- One of the doctors who assisted in a stem cell procedure last year on Yankees starter Bartolo Colon says that 10 other pitchers have expressed interest in undergoing the treatment that is being scrutinized by Major League Baseball.
Dr. Leonel Liriano said Sunday in a Dominican TV interview that 10 pitchers between the ages of 21 to 37 have contacted him about the contentious medical treatment. He did not disclose the identities of the athletes.
Liriano is the medical director for United States-based Regenocyte in the Dominican Republic. The company specializes in the use of stem cells for regenerative therapy.
"We didn't use human growth hormone with Bartolo," Liriano said previously to the Associated Press. "It was a totally clean process in which we did not use anything out of place or regulated by the major leagues."
The New York Times first reported the procedure on its website earlier this month.
Colon, the 2005 AL Cy Young Award winner, was treated in April 2010 with a procedure designed to regenerate tissue in his shoulder and elbow. The treatment took place in the city of Santiago, about 90 miles north of Santo Domingo.
Joseph R. Purita, an orthopedic surgeon in Boca Raton, Fla., told the Times that he flew to the Dominican Republic to assist with the treatment. Purita also acknowledged using HGH in similar procedures before, but denied using it in Colon's case.
HGH is banned by Major League Baseball.
The Yankees notified MLB upon learning of the procedure. League spokesman Pat Courtney told the Times that it is "looking into it."
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