Dustin May made his first regular season start in nearly two years on Tuesday night as the Los Angeles Dodgers remained undefeated with a 3-1 win over the Atlanta Braves.
May had not pitched for the Dodgers since May 17, 2023. That initially was due to recovery from of a flexor tendon and Tommy John revision surgery. He was on track to return during the second half of the 2024 season but his outlook changed due to needing emergency esophageal surgery.
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“It didn’t really feel super long, because I was close before my esophagus. I was less than a month away from being back at that time, so I felt like I was really close,” May answered when asked if his time away from the mound felt like a prolonged period.
“After the esophagus thing happened, it was a totally reset. There was nothing I could even do at the moment, so playing baseball was at the very back of my mind. I was jut trying to get healthy, get home and be able to see the next morning.”
May felt a whirlpool of emotions going into the start but settled in after striking out the side in the first inning. He exhaled while on the mound and also took a moment to himself upon getting into the dugout.
“Just kind of a release of emotions,” May explained. “Just knowing everything I’ve been through in the last two years, it was like a huge weight lifted off my shoulders and I could kind of relax. I’ve got my footing again.”
May ended up taking a no-decision after allowing just one unearned run on one hit in five innings of work, striking out six and walking three. The Dodgers came from behind to tie the Los Angeles franchise record for best start to a season, though May was going to have a positive outlook on the night regardless.
“Yeah, I mean, even if it would’ve went bad, I still would’ve had a good time being back on a big league mound,” he said.
“It literally meant the world to me just to be back on the mound. About eight months ago I didn’t know if I would be.”
Dustin May keeping positive mindset
May has a new perspective on his career after the challenges he faced over the last two year and tries to look at the positives no matter the outcome.
“I used to let my emotions kind of get the best of me with every pitch,” May began. “Everything would be super high or super low. Just being able to stay a little more level-headed throughout life in general has been one of my biggest things in the last six months.
“Just trying to live in the moment. Everything is going to be OK no matter what happens, so just looking at the positive side of things.”
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