Tampa Bay Rays minor league pitcher Tyler Zombro was hit in the side of his head by a 104-mph line drive last June. On Sunday, he made his first appearance in a game since the injury.
Zombro, who plays for the Triple-A affiliate the Durham Bulls, made his season debut and was celebrated by his team when he took the mound. Players and coaches gave Zombro a standing ovation. They had a lot to cheer about, as the 27-year-old hurler threw a scoreless inning against the Norfolk Tides -- the team he was pitching against when he was injured last year. =
Zombro threw 14 pitches with eight strikes in his return. The Bulls went on to win 14-5 against the Tide.
"I think it all came kind of full circle there and definitely was a symbol of me 'completing the journey' to be back to performing in Triple-A," Zombro told MLB.com.
Back in June directly after getting hit in the head, Zombro laid on the mound and suffered convulsions as he was attended to by team trainers. The game was suspended after his injury. Zombro was rushed to Duke University Hospital where he had had 16 plates and 32 screws put into his head.
He was in the hospital for about seven days before being released, but had not pitched in a professional game until Sunday.
