“I went into surgery on the morning of June 18, 2010, and went home that afternoon.”

Harold Baines rejoined the Chicago White Sox organization in 2004 as a coach under the leadership of new White Sox Manager Ozzie Guillen. Baines had originally joined the White Sox team in 1977 and became a regular outfielder in 1980. However, in 1986 a string of knee problems brought an end to his fielding career and he transitioned to a designated hitting position.

In spite of his continued knee pain, he went on to complete a successful designated hitting career, retiring in 2001. He played 22 seasons in the major leagues, batting .289 with 384 home runs and 1,628 RBI in 2,830 games. At the young age of 51, he found that the knee pain had become intolerable.

Baines went from a high performance professional athlete to finding it difficult to walk down the first base line. After much research for a qualified physician, Baines scheduled an appointment with Dr. Richard Berger. Baines went into surgery on the morning of June 18, 2010, and went home that afternoon.

“It was gratifying to help Harold, who has brought such joy to millions but then was suffering with pain just walking,” said Dr. Berger. Following his surgery, Baines completed rehab with White Sox head team trainer Herm Schneider. His expectations were high, but he met his postoperative goal by getting back on the field in February 2011 for White Sox spring training.

“Harold recovered so quickly partially due to his excellent conditioning and partially due to the new kind of knee replacement that is performed without cutting any muscles or tendons,” explained Dr. Berger. The White Sox returned to Chicago for their home opener on April 7, where Sox fans were happy to see Coach Harold Baines back at first base.