Sixteen months later, Chase Whitley was back on a major league mound, and it felt just as he imagined it: Emotional, nerve-wracking, exciting.
Oh, and familiar — it was back in The Bronx, a place the right-hander once called home.
“That was pretty cool. Just unbelievable. It was really, really special,” the former Yankee and current Rays right-hander said after delivering two innings of strong relief in Tampa Bay’s 4-2 win at the Stadium. “It’s been a long ride. It’s been a test of faith.”
Ironically, Whitley’s last big league outing came as a Yankee, as a starter against the Rays on May 14, 2015.