Jameson Taillon has spent countless hours on this moment over the past two years.
On Wednesday, he finally had to live it out.
Taillon was back on a major league hill for the first time in 23 months and took his first start since his second Tommy John operation in 2019.
“It’s going to sound cheesy, but I’ll never take a day in a big league uniform for granted,” Taillon said after the Yankees’ 4-3 defeat to the Orioles. “It’s for sure. I was very happy out there. It felt really good to compete.”
It was Taillon’s Yankees debut after the January trade that brought him from The Pirates to The Bronx. The right hand lasted only 4 ² / nings innings, but he was effective. He allowed three hits, two earned runs with seven strokes, two solo runs and no runs. Taillon’s fastball was 93-95 miles per hour throughout and he mixed in a curve and a move.
“I thought he threw the ball very well,” said Yankees manager Aaron Boone. ‘It’s clear this day has come a long way for him. I’m sure there were all kinds of emotions on that hill again. ”
Taillon did not show those emotions. He immediately looked comfortable and hit Cedric Mullins on a fast ball of 95 miles per hour to start the game and execute the first nine batsmen he faced. The Orioles broke through in the fourth innings with a lead from Mullins and another home run by Anthony Santander that gave Baltimore a 2-1 lead.
“I thought I made a lot of good places, and competed well,” Taillon said. ‘Really, two bad pitches sum it up. Overall, I thought I was making more really good places than bad ones. It’s something to build on and hopefully let that pitch go in the right direction. ‘
The 29-year-old hit the next two batsmen to get out of the innings and Boone left him for fifth. Boone jerked him after encountering three batsmen in the fifth game. Taillon throws 74 pitches in his first outing since May 1, 2019. Boone said he would not go past 75 spots for Taillon for the first time. Boone calls it a “solid performance” and a “strong step” for Taillon.
The Yankees already had several pitchers – Corey Kluber, Domingo German and Taillon – who made their return after a long absence in the first week. The Yankees used early days to keep Gerrit Cole on schedule, pushing Taillon’s first start back to Wednesday.
For Taillon, it was worth the wait.