BY MIKE CORMACK
sportsnet.ca

John Farrell had a front-row seat for one of Dustin McGowan's best starts in the majors.

It was Sept. 17, 2007 and the then Boston Red Sox pitching coach marvelled from the opposing dugout as the then 25-year-old Toronto Blue Jays phenom delivered a five-hit, nine-strikeout, complete-game masterpiece.

It wasn't the most recent occasion Farrell saw McGowan pitch in the majors, nor will it be the last as the Blue Jays activated the right-hander from the 60-day DL Monday, completing one of the most remarkable comebacks from injury in club history.

"It was clearly an upper-rotation type of performance," Farrell recalled of that night almost four years ago. "What his physical ability will ultimately get to this time remains to be seen, but if it's close to what it was, it's a damn good major league pitcher."

McGowan -- the Jays first round pick (33rd overall) in 2000 -- once seemed destined to become possibly even more than that, especially after taking a no-hitter into the ninth inning against the Colorado Rockies in 2007.

But on July 8, 2008 he exited a start against the Baltimore Orioles with shoulder pain.

Rotator cuff surgery on his right shoulder soon followed and he missed all of the past two seasons due to various setbacks including a second operation on his arm last June.

Two years out of action is an eternity in baseball and while it would have been easy for some to pack it in along the way, McGowan said the thought never crossed his mind.

"I never thought about quitting," he said before Monday's game at Rogers Centre against the Boston Red Sox. "It's been over three years -- it feels like 10. I've been a little nervous. It's like getting called up for the first time."

The Blue Jays never gave up on McGowan, or his talent, either, re-signing the power right-hander back in December of 2010 to a one-year US$450,000 deal.

"Physically, I knew at some point I'd get back, but it was all about my mind and how long is it gonna take," McGowan answered when asked what was the more difficult aspect of his rehab."You have good days and then bad days make it seem like you might not ever get it back. It took its toll mentally on me, but I hung in there."

Farrell -- who was making a comeback of sorts himself Monday after missing the past 10 days with pneumonia -- said McGowan's comeback is an exciting and inspiring story for the organization, but expectations should remain in check.

"I'm sure there were many times when he's the only one that believed he's going to get back," Farrell said. "These are stories that are not only uplifting and motivating, but the end result is still a blank. Who knows what's to come?"

For the remainder of 2011 the Jays will use McGowan out of the bullpen, despite having worked his way back up through the minors as a starter between single-A Dunedin and double-A New Hampshire. It's a role that suits McGowan just fine -- for now.

"Eventually I hope to be a starter again, but let's finish this year out strong and look forward to that next year," he said.

And about the possibility of closing games in the future?

"We'll cross that bridge when (we) get there," McGowan said. "It's intriguing. If starting doesn't work out, we'll take a look at it."

McGowan's last pitched on Sept. 1, so Farrell said the Jays will try to get him into Tuesday's game against the Boston Red Sox -- or 820 days since he last stepped on a big-league mound.

"He's defied the odds," Farrell said. "There's no doubt about it."