When Eduardo Rodriguez threw out his first pitch Thursday it earned him a standing ovation from the members of his team in the dugout and bullpen.
The start was his first of the year after beginning the campaign on the injured list, and prior to that, he'd been out an entire year thanks to complications from COVID-19.
The game was at Camden Yards against the Baltimore Orioles who were welcoming back one of their own. First baseman Trey Mancini played in front of his home crowd for the first time since beating cancer, and made the classy gesture of mentioning Rodriguez also was making his comeback.
It's something that was on Red Sox manager Alex Cora's mind during Mancini's standing ovation, and Boston made sure do give its starter the same treatment.
"I was thinking about that, you know, while everything was going on," Cora said. "And we made a point, that (when) he threw the first pitch to give him a standing ovation. People in the bullpen, everybody in the dugout because he, I don't even know … I just told him what happened today is because of him. The work, he put himself in this situation. It was very gratifying. We're very happy for him."
Rightfully so. Pitching for the first time in about 16 months, Rodriguez settled into his game to go five innings. He gave up three runs off four hits without a single walk. He struck out seven.
"For him to perform that way is a testament to where he’s at right now in his career, who he is as a person," Cora said. "I know it’s a big day for him. I’m happy everything went well."
