Tony Gonsolin made his long anticipated return to the mound on Wednesday in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 12-7 win over the Miami Marlins at Dodger Stadium.
It was Gonsolin’s first start at the Major League level since Aug. 18, 2023. He then underwent Tommy John surgery and missed the entire 2024 season despite making a late push to return for the playoffs.
Gonsolin unexpectedly began the 2025 season on the 15-day injured list after tweaking his back while lifting weights late in Spring Training.
The 30-year-old turned in a solid outing against the Marlins, allowing three runs on six hits and collecting nine strikeouts over six innings pitched. “It felt pretty good,” Gonsolin said after the game.
“I thought I was throwing a lot of strikes, which is rule No. 1. Kept us in the game and gave us a chance to get the win.”
Gonsolin had some adrenaline while warming up but was able to control his emotions once the game started.
“I feel like once I got into the bullpen to do my pre-pitch throwing, weighted ball stuff and playing catch, I felt like it was catching up a little bit. Just tried to take it all in,” Gonsolin said.
The right-hander was happy to not only be back on a Major League mound, but also help the Dodgers extend their winning streak to five games. “It feels good to be back on the mound, for sure. Just go out there and do my job. I had a lot of fun today,” he said.
Tony Gonsolin impressed Dave Roberts and Freddie Freeman
Freddie Freeman, who hit a home run in the Dodgers’ win, thought Gonsolin looked like his usual self on the mound.
“He was striking the 0-0 curveball, and it’s really hard as a hitter when he’s doing that,” Freeman explained. “He can go heater off of that and he’s got the splitter down below. He had everything working. Very impressive what he did today.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was also pleased with Gonsolin’s outing and believes he will be a welcome addition to the starting rotation.
“He gets Ws, he’s got the track record, he’s an All-Star, he’s won a lot of games, he knows how to pitch deep in games, and he has a bunch of weapons and command,” Roberts said of Gonsolin.
“I really do have come to the point where I expect that out of him when he takes the baseball.”
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