Henry McKenna

For the Win

Aaron Barrett is back in MLB for the first time in four years.

After Tommy John surgery, procedures to remove bone spurs from his elbow and ankle and a fractured humerus bone, which nearly forced him into retirement, Barrett was on the mound for the Washington Nationals on Saturday against the Braves in Atlanta. While there were some moments of rust, he threw a scoreless fifth inning by walking his first batter and retiring the following three.

It was his first appearance in MLB since Aug 5, 2015. Plus, Barrett’s three-pitch strikeout of Ronald Acuña Jr. was pretty nasty. After finishing the inning, he began to cry in the dugout while his teammates comforted him.

He spoke with reporters again after the game, and was again emotional about his experiences. However, the pitcher was able to reflect upon his journey back to the big league.

QUITE THE COMEBACK:'Why not me?' Aaron Barrett's emotional return to Nationals complete

“I called my wife. I was bawling. She was crying. It makes me emotional just thinking about it," Barrett said via a video on NBC Sports Washington. So I called her and I was like, ‘We’re going back.’ She was basically my nerves for two years. Ultimately, it’s been in the back of my mind since day one. There was no point to start playing again if you’re not going to achieve going back to the big leagues. … That’s been my goal since day one, and now I’m here. I was in a dark place for a long time. Like I said in other articles, I questioned, ‘Why me?’ for a long time. God has put it in great perspective for me, and I think I’ve been give this platform to show that you can do anything,”

It’s an impressive demonstration of will. Hopefully, he can stick around with Washington.