Josh Tomlin had ample time to think about his past starts in the big leagues. The pitcher had countless hours in the training room and plenty of days down in the Minors to look back while recovering and returning from surgery on his right elbow.
It turns out that Tomlin was only looking forward.
He does not even remember the details of his last win in the Majors.
“I do not,” Tomlin said. “This one. That’s what I remember.”
This one was a long time coming for Tomlin, who rejoined the Indians on Tuesday and then pitched with precision to lead Cleveland to a 4-2 victory over the Twins at Progressive Field. The Tribe’s offense spotted the right-hander with an early lead and he did the rest, settling in and looking like his old self in front of the home crowd.
It had been 648 days since Tomlin last started for the Indians, and 670 days since he last collected a Major League win. He had Tommy John surgery — performed on Aug. 22, 2012 — to thank for those prolonged statistical droughts. Facing Minnesota, Tomlin pushed that past to the side and continued Cleveland’s recent rotation resurgence.
All Indians manager Terry Francona knew of Tomlin were the stories he heard about the pitcher from those who were around when the righty was a rotation fixture in 2011. Francona then saw two innings from Tomlin last September, and watched the pitcher nearly claim a job with a solid performance in Spring Training this year.
It took until Tuesday for that job to fall to Tomlin, who was promoted from Triple-A Columbus before the game.
“I actually walked out to him before the game,” Francona said. “I just said, ‘Hey, man, enjoy the [heck] out of this.’ He loves to compete. You can tell. We gave him the lead and he did exactly what you’re supposed to do: threw strikes, used both sides of the plate, he worked ahead.”
Tomlin did indeed savor the experience, which included a standing ovation when he walked off the mound in the seventh inning. He went on to win his first game since July 5, 2012, when he beat the Rays.
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