Detroit Tigers right-hander Rony Garcia, fully recovered from a left knee injury, pitched competitively for the first time since early June.
He took the mound Friday as the starter for Estrellas de Oriente in the Dominican Winter League, tossing two scoreless innings with no walks and three strikeouts. He threw 21 of 28 pitches for strikes. A two-out double in the second inning was his only blemish.
The outing marked Garcia's career debut in the winter leagues.
The 24-year-old, facing the Toros del Este, struck out three batters in the second frame: Alejandro Mejia, Hamlet Marte and Malquin Canelo.