Jameson's long-awaited return to MLB was everything he hoped for

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With the score tied toward the end of Sunday’s game against the Cubs, Drey Jameson was sitting in the Diamondbacks bullpen wondering why closer Justin Martinez wasn’t moving around like he usually would late in the game.

When the game went to extra innings, Jameson, who was recalled from Triple-A Reno the previous day, started to put the pieces together and realized Martinez was likely not available to pitch.

“So I started moving around and looking at scouting reports,” Jameson said.

With Martinez unavailable and Arizona’s other closer, A.J. Puk, currently on the injured list, Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo was unable to give Jameson the “soft landing” he had hoped for and instead had to use him to try to preserve a 3-2 lead in the 11th inning.

That was just fine with Jameson, who relishes the chance to pitch in big moments. So there he was jogging out to a big league mound for the first time since July 6, 2023. It had been a long road back from Tommy John surgery for Jameson, and the right-hander was ready for the moment.

“I'm honestly glad that's how it was, because it put pressure on me to come in and throw strikes and not beat around the bush,” Jameson said. “I didn't want to come in and walk anyone. So that's the best situation, and I'm glad that that's the situation I got to put into my first outing.”

Jameson needed to face only two batters to record the save as he got Ian Happ to line out to shortstop where automatic runner Jon Berti was doubled off second. Kyle Tucker then lined out to end the game.

Happ’s liner left his bat at 112 mph and Tucker hit his 102.3 mph.

“I had some luck on my side today,” Jameson said.

After going through an arduous rehab and then being sent to Reno at the end of Spring Training despite having had an excellent spring (1.59 ERA over 5 2/3 innings pitched), Jameson is entitled to a little good fortune.

No one with the Diamondbacks thought Jameson didn’t throw well during the spring, but they wanted to be cautious with him being used back-to-back days and possibly three out of four days.

At the time he was sent down, Jameson said he was disappointed in the decision, but after he dealt with minor soreness in Reno, he realized that the Diamondbacks made the right decision in sending him down.

“I thought I was ready, obviously, earlier,” Jameson said. “But that’s just me not knowing the full sense because then I went to Reno and had a little hiccup. Ultimately, I think they know more than I know.”