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Wed Apr 25 201822:31After 3 Tommy John surgeries, Jonny Venters back in majors
BALTIMORE (AP) — Jonny Venters has made a successful return to the majors after enduring three Tommy John surgeries and a six-year absence.Pitching for the Tampa Bay Rays in his first big league appearance since the 2012 NL wild-card game, Venters entered in the sixth inning against the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday night. He retired Chris Davis on a grounder — the only batter he faced.He received high fives and fist bumps in the Tampa Bay dugout because, after all, it was a comeback that everyone could appreciate.Hours before the 8-4 win over Baltimorer, Venters was sitting out a rain delay in the minors during a morning game when he got word the Rays were recalling him from Triple-A Durham.So the 33-year-old lefty hopped into his truck, grabbed a flight to Baltimore and was in the clubhouse when Tampa Bay formally announced the move."It's hard to put into words how I'm feeling. It's been an emotional day," Venters said. "I'm excited to be here. Grateful for the opportunity. Hopefully go out and get some people out today."Venters' last previous performance in the majors came with Atlanta, a year after he was an NL All-Star. Since then, he had elbow ligament replacement surgery in 2013 and 2014 after getting it done originally in 2005."After the last time, I all but made up my mind I wasn't going to do it again," Venters said. "Then I spoke with the doctors and my family, everybody thought it was a good idea to do it again. So I felt like if everybody that I cared about thought that way, then I would be stubborn not to try it again."So here I am. So far, so good," he saidVenters was uncertain how he would fare in the majors on six years rest."That's a good question," he said. "I'm not sure. We'll see."Well, after one outing and four pitches, he's got a 0.00 ERA.Venters was 0-0 with a 1.59 ERA in five games for Durham this season. He pitched at four minor league levels in the Rays' system last year and pitched briefly in their organization in 2016.Upon his return to the majors, Venters acted more like a rookie than a veteran of 124 big league games."Humble, appreciative, a little overwhelmed," manager Kevin Cash said. "Just like, amazing."Cash, in turn, was delighted to see Venters' hard work pay off."I can't even fathom what he's probably gone through on the injury front," the manager said. "The organization is really happy. And for good reason. He's a good pitcher and probably a better person."Cash gave Venters a big hug when the pitcher walked into his office."He told me his family's on a plane right now," Cash said. "I cannot imagine what he's been through. For me personally, I was excited to shake his hand and say, 'Congrats.'"To make room for Venters, the Rays sent reliever Hunter Wood to Durham.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball