Dustin May struck out Oscar Gonzalez to end the first inning of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Cactus League game Sunday afternoon and pointed to the sky. He then buried his face in his cap as he walked off the field.
That moment was a long time coming for May.
The right-hander hadn’t thrown in a game since May 2023 and his life was turned upside-down in the time since then. He underwent a Tommy John revision surgery and had emergency surgery on a ruptured esophagus.
Read more: Dodgers’ Dustin May Opens Up on Near Death Experience Last Year
Dustin May was recovering from elbow surgery last July when a near-death experience forced him to undergo emergency esophagus surgery.