Players will tell you they can feel like non-people when they are on the disabled list. Mark Melancon felt like a ballplayer Sunday when he not only pitched for the first time since forearm surgery in September, but struck out the side in a 6-1 victory.
"I can't tell you how excited I am to just get to contribute instead of sitting on the sidelines cheering the guys on," Melancon said.
Melancon's arm might never be right again. He might not be the closer again, because Hunter Strickland has nailed that job down. But Melancon's three-strikeout inning suggested he can deepen a bullpen that is gaining the consistency it lacked in 2016, prompting the Giants to sign him to a four-year, $62 million deal.