Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Tyler Zombro returned to the mound for his first regular season game in 325 days Sunday following brain surgery after being hit in the head by a line drive in June of 2021.
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Zombro appeared in the second inning of Sunday's game for Tampa Bay's AAA affiliate the Durham Bulls and entered the game to a standing ovation from fans as well as the opposing team.
The moment @T_Zombro24 was announced as the new pitcher in Norfolk, with both teams coming out of their dugouts to applaud Z.
First class, @NorfolkTides.
Thank you.#KEEPGOING pic.twitter.com/fMx2ihPPBi
— Durham Bulls (@DurhamBulls) April 24, 2022
In his first outing in 325 days, Zombro tossed a scoreless inning, giving up just one hit.
It's a miracle he even saw the field again after his head injury and the day was made even better by the Bulls picking up a 14-5 victory over the Norfolk Tides.
“It’s amazing, like being out there today, I feel like nothing happened,” he said during camp last month. “I feel 100% like myself, throwing feels the same, just how the stars have aligned I definitely feel like I should be out there.”
