In April, White Sox pitcher Danny Farquhar suffered a brain hemorrhage stemming from a ruptured aneurysm. He collapsed in the dugout and was subsequently rushed to the hospital.

While he’s been recovering ever since, the road to recovery will be a long one. Thankfully, doctors are hopeful he will eventually be able to pitch again. The White Sox and the greater baseball community have been hugely supportive of Farquhar and his family during this process (Chicago has set up fundraising initiatives for brain aneurysm-related charities), and they welcomed him back to the mound on Friday night.

Danny Farquhar takes the mound at Guaranteed Rate Field to throw out the first pitch. #WhiteSox #WelcomeBack pic.twitter.com/qvN56viu0S — Dave Marren (@DaveMarren) June 2, 2018

It’s short of a full outing, as the timeline of him pitching again is unknown. But Farquhar got to throw out the first pitch before the White Sox’s game against the Brewers, with both his family and the medical staff that helped him in the aftermath of his hemorrhage by his side.

Danny Farquhar's wife Lexi and his three children are on the field. #WhiteSox pic.twitter.com/L8QafP35Md — Mike Berman (@MikeBermanNBC) June 1, 2018

It was about as emotional a first pitch as you would expect it to be. After an introduction recapping his White Sox career and his injury, Farquhar took the mound with his family and was surrounded by his entire medical team, as well as the White Sox staff and team, to throw out the pitch.

This makes us so happy. Welcome back, Danny Farquhar! pic.twitter.com/3LsWdWwVDl — Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) June 2, 2018

The look on his face after he threw the strike was so filled with happiness and pure, beautiful joy that it was hard not to get a little choked up about it. There was also a look of surprise and relief mixed in, as if he wasn’t sure how well it was going to go even after his recovery.

Farquhar clenched his hands a few times after the pitch but was otherwise walking and milling around with everyone without apparent trouble. As long as things go well, Farquhar should be back on the mound next year full time, which would be remarkable.

For now, this was hopefully a preview of what’s to come once his recovery is complete.