Emmet Sheehan made his return to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday night after undergoing Tommy John surgery in May 2024.
The Dodgers were hoping to get four innings from Sheehan, and he provided just that. He finished his outing allowing one run on three hits, marking a successful first start back.
“It was awesome,” Sheehan said. “Once I was out there it was kind of just back in compete mode with seeing their hitter in the box. But definitely before and after, feeling the emotions of just the past year, for sure.”
Sheehan didn’t walk any batters in his return, which was perhaps the most encouraging part of his start because command is typically the last thing a pitcher regains after coming back from Tommy John.
“I don’t really know, but I’m definitely happy with it,” Sheehan said about having his command so soon. “I think it just comes from work being put in. All the mound work before, throwing multiple ‘pens before even facing hitters.”
Sheehan also had six strikeouts, showing off the elite swing-and-miss stuff that made him an intriguing prospect. He mentioned everything feels “pretty close to where it was” before his Tommy John, which helped him find success.
“I think it’s just being control of my body, being able to repeat my mechanics, just try to keep the release point consistent and make adjustments when I do throw pitches where I don’t want them to be,” he added.
Sheehan’s fastball velocity averaged 95.2 mph, topping out at 96.7 and going as low as 91. It was just around where he sat as a rookie in 2023, but he still feels there’s more in the tank.
“Definitely maybe a tick down on the velo, but other than that, I feel like execution was really good,” Sheehan said.
Emmet Sheehan starts against Padres
Sheehan’s return also coincided with a divisional matchup against the San Diego Padres, which he said added “a little bit” of excitement to it.
“I think it would’ve been a pretty similar feeling no matter who I was facing today, just because it’s the first one back,” Sheehan said. “But yeah, definitely cool to be able to do it against a team like that.”
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