RADIO
Jose Fernandez made a big splash in his return from Tommy John surgery on Thursday.
The Miami Marlins pitcher not only threw six innings of three-run ball in the 5-4 victory over the San Francisco Giants, but he showed some offense by hitting a homerun in the fifth inning.
Fernandez, 22, was making his first start in 13 months. He suffered the elbow injury in May of 2014. The right-hander was absolutely dominant before the injury and had one of the best rookie seasons ever for a pitcher in 2013.
Coming up against Matt Cain in the fifth inning, Fernandez hit a solo shot to give himself some cushion on the hill. Thursday was also Cain’s return from an elbow injury that forced him to miss most of the 2014 season.
Besides the homerun, Fernandez had a quality start on the mound. He struck out six on seven hits without allowing a walk. It was a positive to see the Marlins pitching again and it could be the turnaround Miami needs to climb back in the race for the playoffs.
In 2013, Fernandez went 12-6 with a 2.19 ERA and 187 K in 172.2 innings pitched. He followed that with a 2.44 ERA, 70 K and 51.2 innings in eight starts in 2014. In the midst of a terrific season, he suffered the injury to his pitching elbow.
He will face the Boston Red Sox in his next scheduled start.
