Jimmy Nelson serves as another example for those who advocate for a universal designated hitter rule.
The Milwaukee Brewers right-hander injured his pitching shoulder while running the bases during a game against the Chicago Cubs on Sept. 8, 2017.
Nelson slid into a base at Wrigley Field and sustained an injury to his labrum. The severity required Nelson to undergo surgery, miss the 2018 season and the first two months of 2019.
For Nelson, the long gap between major league appearances ends Wednesday night on his 30th birthday. He starts the middle game of the Brewers’ three-game home series against the Miami Marlins.
“Pitching on my 30th birthday in front of the best fans in the world will be the best birthday present I’ve ever received,” Nelson wrote on his Twitter page. “Looking forward to seeing everyone and doing my best to reciprocate the love and support.”
Nelson, who is 33-44 in 4 1/2 major league seasons, began 2019 on the injured list and eventually was assigned to Triple-A San Antonio, where he appeared in five games and went 3-0 with a 3.75 ERA in 24 innings.
His return comes after the Brewers placed starters Gio Gonzalez (arm fatigue) and Jhoulys Chacin (back) on the injured list in the past few days.
At the time of his injury, Nelson had become a formidable fixture in Milwaukee’s rotation. He ended the 2017 season with a 12-6 record and a 3.45 ERA, and he finished ninth in National League Cy Young Award voting.
Nelson won his only previous outing against Miami, pitching 5 2/3 scoreless innings and striking out six on May 25, 2014.
“Jimmy’s was not the run-of-the-mill shoulder surgery,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell told reporters. “It has required some extra work. He has certainly put in the work. Credit to him for that. He has aced that part of it.”
With a victory Wednesday, the Marlins would assure themselves of a second consecutive winning road trip. Miami began the current six-game trip winning by two of three at San Diego, then trounced the Brewers 16-0 in the series opener Tuesday night. A franchise-record 11-run rally in the fifth inning, in which every hitter had an RBI, keyed the lopsided win.
“This game gives us a good chance to win the series,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said after his club’s highest-scoring output of the season. “(Wednesday) is a whole new game. You don’t get to keep any of the extra runs.”
Although still last in the National League East, the Marlins are 12-5 after a 10-31 start.
“We’ve been playing well the last couple of weeks, and it’s not just one guy doing everything,” said Miami first baseman/outfielder Garrett Cooper, who had four hits Tuesday. “It’s been the pitching. It’s been the defense. Guys 1 through 9 driving in runs.”
Miami right-hander Sandy Alcantara (2-5, 4.08 ERA) will make his first career start and third appearance against the Brewers on Wednesday. He has allowed three runs in three innings vs. Milwaukee.
Alcantara’s previous four starts, evenly split between home and road outings, show glaring contrasts. Alcantara pitched 15 scoreless innings and allowed four hits in home starts against the New York Mets and San Francisco Giants, but he surrendered nine runs (eight earned) and 14 hits in 10 2/3 innings in road outings against the Mets and the Washington Nationals.
The 23-year-old also has thrown one of the 12 complete-game shutouts in the majors this season, a two-hitter against the Mets on May 19.
“We are going to win games and we are going to lose games,” Alcantara told Spanish-speaking media. “You just have to maintain a positive attitude and continue to work hard.”