After Cheating Death, Dodgers Pitcher Dustin May Makes His Way Back To The Mound A Changed Man

Dustin May took the mound for the Los Angeles Dodgers a changed man.

Making his first major league start since May 17, 2023, he allowed just one hit and an unearned run over five innings in the Dodgers' 3-1 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night. He struck out six and walked three.

"Even if it would have went bad I still would have been having a good time just being back on a big league mound," May said. "It literally meant the world to me just to be back on the mound because eight months ago I didn't know if I would be."

May spent all of last season rehabbing from a torn flexor tendon in his right arm and a life-threatening esophageal tear after eating a salad at dinner with his wife in Arizona. A piece of lettuce got caught in his throat and May sipped some water trying to clear it.

He felt a painful sensation in his throat and stomach, and later learned the lettuce had perforated his esophageal tube.