Jameson Taillon has spent countless hours over the past two years thinking about this moment.
On Wednesday, he finally got to live it.
Taillon returned to a major league mound for the first time in 23 months, making his first start since his second Tommy John surgery in 2019.
“That will sound cheeky, but I’ll never take a day off with a big league uniform of course,” Taillon said after the Yankees ’4-3 loss to the Orioles. “That’s for sure. I was very happy to be there. To compete very well.”
It was Taillon’s Yankees debut after the January trade that brought him to the Bronx from the Pirates. The right-hander lasted only 4 innings / ₃, but was effective. He allowed three hits, two runs won seven times, two home runs alone and without walking. Taillon’s fast ball was steady at 93 to 95 miles per hour and mixed in a curve and a slider.
“I thought he threw the ball really well,” said Aaron Boone, Yankees manager. “It simply came to our notice then. I’m sure there were all kinds of emotions in that mound again. “
Taillon did not show these emotions. He was comfortable immediately, leaving out Cedric Mullins with a fast ball of 95 miles per hour to start the game and withdrawing the first nine batters he faced. The Orioles burst into the fourth inning with a local thrashing by Mullins and another thrashing by Anthony Santander that gave Baltimore a 2-1 lead.
“I thought he was doing a lot of really good throws, he was competing well,” Taillon said. “It simply came to our notice then. Overall, I thought I was doing more good than bad throws. It’s something that can be taken advantage of and, hopefully, get the tone count going in the right direction after that. ”
The 29-year-old eliminated the next two batters to get out of the inning and Boone left him for the fifth. Boone ripped it off after facing three batters in the fifth, eliminating two. Taillon threw 74 pitches on his first outing since May 1, 2019. Boone said he would not let Taillon exceed 75 pitches in his first time out. Boone called it a “solid performance” and a “strong step” for Taillon.
The Yankees have had several pitchers (Corey Kluber, Domingo German and Taillon) who have returned after long absences in the first week. The Yankees took advantage of the first days of rest to keep Gerrit Cole on schedule, which pushed Taillon’s first outing back on Wednesday.
For Taillon, it was worth the wait.