Dave pitched for the Padres during the '84 National League Championships and the World Series. In 1987, he was traded to the San Francisco Giants where he again pitched in the National League Championships. In 1988, doctors discovered a desmoid tumor and had to remove half the deltoid muscle in Dave's pitching arm. A year later, he attempted a triumphant comeback, but while pitching against the Montreal Expos, Dave collapsed to the mound after breaking his arm. Dravecky's pitching arm had to be amputated, ending his baseball career. He conveys his gracious strength through these obstacles in his books Comeback, When You Can't Come Back, and The Worth.