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—then a life-threatening esophageal tear after eating a salad at dinner with his wife in Arizona.
The Los Angeles Times previously reported that May was set to begin a minor-league rehab stint within days—and possibly be back with the Dodgers in a month or so—when he ordered a salad at the Dodgers' Arizona Camelback Ranch facility. 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, reports the AP. May underwent an emergency "full abdominal surgery" that same night, with doctors later telling him he had sought medical attention just in time. "I probably wouldn't have made it through the night if I didn't have it," May said. A six-month recovery in which he was barred from lifting weights heavier than 10 pounds followed.
On Tuesday, the 6-foot-6 right-hander nicknamed Big Red closed his eyes and tilted his head toward the darkening sky before warming up. "I was thanking the Lord for the opportunity to be back," he said. "There's been a lot of praying and a lot of devotion to him in the last two years of my life and I attribute all of my success to him." May's first pitch was a 96mph sinker to Braves leadoff hitter Michael Harris II for a strike. He again leaned his head back and looked skyward. Harris struck out.
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In 2023, May was 4-1 in nine starts with a 2.63 ERA, 34 strikeouts, and 16 walks before having Tommy John revision surgery. Little did he know that would be the least of his troubles. And never did he think eating a salad would threaten his life. "There wasn't really a very bright light at the end of the tunnel at the time," he said. "I had to scratch and claw my way out and find my way back." (More Los Angeles Dodgers stories.)
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