The return of Dustin McGowan was the lone bright spot on an otherwise forgetful night in Toronto.
TORONTO -- The last pitch Dustin McGowan had thrown in the big-leagues prior to his four innings Tuesday night came on July 8, 2008, a 2-2 offering to Baltimore Orioles shortstop Brandon Fahey that induced a weak grounder to second that ended the fourth.
Once fielded by Joe Inglett and relayed to Lyle Overbay for the out, McGowan headed to the Toronto Blue Jays dugout, his right shoulder screaming, his head filled with worry.
On the verge of becoming a legitimate ace, his career was suddenly on the brink.
Three long, hard, trying years, two shoulder surgeries and a knee operation for good measure have since passed, with his impressive return coming in an otherwise thoroughly dismal 14-0 thrashing from the Boston Red Sox.
Although he’s still rocking the mutton-chop sideburns, McGowan is 29 now, and rather than being a front-of-the-rotation starter of the future, he’s a wildcard, an unknown everybody is hoping plays out the right way.
“I actually don’t (remember the pitch to Fahey), I just remember them all hurting,” said McGowan. “I blocked that out of my mind a long time ago…
“It was a little nerve-wracking jogging in and when I got there, everybody on their feet, it got to me a little bit. Then you concentrate on pitching.”
His performance – against a Red Sox lineup that pummelled rookie starter Luis Perez (3-3) for eight runs in 2.2 innings – was both promising and tantalizing.
Entering an 11-0 game in the fifth to a standing ovation from the crowd of 17,565, he topped out at 96 m.p.h. and sat 94-95 for most of his outing. McGowan also showed the ability to overpower hitters that was once a given for him, plus a nice touch with his slider, curveball and changeup.
He allowed three runs on five hits and three walks over the course of the evening, striking out five as threw 74 pitches. There was enough on display to make you wonder if given more time to build up his arm strength would McGowan eventually be able to go deeper into games? And if he did get further stretched out, would that even be the right approach to take?
“Right now our plan for him is to come out of the bullpen, but we reserve the right to change our mind if we want to insert him into the rotation at some point going forward,” said manager John Farrell, sounding very much like someone with plans to insert McGowan into the starting rotation.
“We’re in that time of year where we’re trying to get answers to questions. I think we go into the off-season with questions surrounding our pitching staff, particularly our rotation.
“If we can continue to gather that type of information to factor in as we go forward, this is at least a first step toward a significant development here tonight.”
The Blue Jays, who fell to 70-72 with their ninth loss in 13 outings, have the rest of September to assess the best route to take with McGowan, but just the simple fact that they must address his status is remarkable in its own right.
His road back to the Rogers Centre mound was beset by false starts and setbacks, leading the Blue Jays to take an ultra-conservative approach with him this time around.
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McGowan himself said this spring was his last shot at a return, unable to stomach the thought of another surgery on his shoulder and more rehab work. So carefully and methodically he worked his arm into shape, finding the old zip on his fastball, and eventually, his whole repertoire.
“Somewhat I did, to tell you the truth,” McGowan said when asked if he felt like his old self on the mound. “Stuff-wise, maybe not quite as sharp and strong as I once was, but I think that’s going to come as I get further away from the injury. It should come back I think.”
Farrell agreed, describing the McGowan he saw Tuesday as “pretty darn close” to the one he remembered from 2008. There was also a poise in his pitching that wasn’t quite there in the past.
“To go through what I did for those years, you just learn,” said McGowan. “If that doesn’t break you, this should be cake. When you get out there you should be ready to go.”
On Monday, he rejoined the Blue Jays saying he wants to remain a starter but also calling the idea of becoming a closer “intriguing.”
McGowan left the game after walking the first two batters of the ninth, getting some words of encouragement from Farrell on the mound before leaving to another standing ovation from the few diehards still in the crowd.
Even his teammates – torn to shreds by a dominant Jon Lester (15-6) who struck out 11 in seven innings for the Red Sox (85-56) – stood and applauded in the dugout, greeting him with hugs and fist bumps on his way through the bench.
“I stood and gave him an ovation when he went in,” said reliever Shawn Camp, a close friend of McGowan’s and one of only four Blue Jays remaining from the 2008 team. “I asked him how he felt, he said he was really nervous, anxious, but then when he settled in, you see all that work paid off. The stuff, 94-95, electric stuff, I’m proud of him. …
“I was telling Frank Francisco when Dustin was warming up that he had some of the most electric stuff I’ve ever seen. Tonight you saw some late swings on guys who are pretty good at getting the head out. His breaking stuff looked sharp, his changeup looked awesome, and his fastball had a lot of life.”
Adam Lind, Jesse Litsch and Casey Janssen are the only other players around the last time McGowan pitched and remember first-hand what he was.
On Tuesday he gave all his new teammates, along with his very impressed manager, a vision of what he could be.
“I saw what I’ve heard for a long time, which was a special, special player,” said catcher J.P. Arencibia. “He’s got unbelievable stuff, he was sharp, four pitches he could throw and they were all good.
“It’s definitely encouraging.”
