PHOENIX — Asked to recap his first major league appearance in 21 months, Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander David Hernandez had some trouble.
“I don’t really remember much,” Hernandez said after pitching a scoreless eighth inning in the Diamondbacks’ 6-3 loss to the New York Mets on Sunday. “I just remember my heart beating really fast.”
Hernandez could be excused for some nerves. He last stepped to the mound in a major league game on September 29, 2013, the end of what was an often frustrating season: 5-6 with a 4.48 ERA in 62 appearances and a three-week trip down to Triple-A.
However, that was nothing compared to what happened the following March, when Hernandez felt discomfort in his arm during spring training and underwent Tommy John surgery that sidelined him for the entire 2014 season.
Hernandez was outstanding over the past month on a rehab assignment, throwing six scoreless innings in seven relief appearances. He struck out nine while allowing two walks and one hit.
Coming on in relief Sunday, Hernandez walked Mets first baseman Lucas Duda to begin the inning but retired the next three hitters in order.
An indication of how far Hernandez has come was the what-we-expected nature of manager Chip Hale’s postgame analysis.
“He did a good job,” Hale said. “The game was still tight, and we needed three outs. He got them for us.”
For Hernandez, the outing was the final step in a long road back.
“It was like I was making my debut all over again,” he said.