Maybe, just maybe, Tyler Thornburg is the answer to the Boston Red Sox’s eighth-inning riddle.
The right-handed reliever cleared the latest hurdle in his comeback attempt Monday night, making his first rehab appearance with the Pawtucket Red Sox. It was a good one, too. The 29-year-old worked a clean seventh inning, allowing one hit while striking out the side.
Tyler Thornburg, welcome back.
Here are his 3 strikeouts from the 7th inning! pic.twitter.com/VBlMSMDdnR
— Pawtucket Red Sox (@PawSox) May 1, 2018
As you can see, Thornburg’s curveball looked sharp as ever.
“He threw the ball very well tonight,” Pawtucket manager Kevin Boles told reporters, per the team’s website. “The fastball was coming out. The breaking ball is impressive. That curveball. That’s something. That was a pretty good breaking ball there. He threw a couple to land strikes. The fastball had good down angle to it. He was really impressive tonight. That was a good night for him.”
According to the PawSox website, Thornburg’s fastball sat in the low- to mid-90s, touching 95 mph on the radar gun twice.
The appearance was Thornburg’s first in more than a year. The reliever, who was acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers last offseason, missed the entire 2017 regular season after having surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome.
If Thornburg is able to regain anywhere close to the form he displayed in 2016 with the Brewers, Boston manager Alex Cora will have a formidable arm to add to the back of his bullpen. Opposing hitters just .162 against Thornburg in 2016, with the right-hander striking out 90 batters in just 67 innings.
