Cleveland Indians pitcher Carlos Carrasco did something he thought he was never would be able to do again. On Monday, Carrasco returned to the team after being placed on the injured list for a cancer diagnosis. He was pitching for the Indians’ minor league team, Double-A Akron, and he was able to throw a 97 mph fastball with his first pitch of the game. He threw 16 pitches in the inning and nine of the pitches were strikes. Carrasco allowed no runs in the inning and he struck out one batter while walking one.
Carlos Carrasco finishes off his inning with a strikeout and a roaring ovation. He threw 16 pitches, 9 for strikes.
0 R, 0 H, 1 BB, 1 K pic.twitter.com/FQO2RGMoRF
— Mandy Bell (@MandyBell02) August 20, 2019
“You know what, it feels great because the first time coming back from 2 1/2 months without baseball and just a couple bullpens, maybe three or four bullpens, and the first pitch is 97 [mph],” Carrasco said via MLB.com. “Right away, I looked back to the scoreboard because I just wanted to find out what was that pitch, and it was 97 and it feels great.”
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Carrasco was placed on IL on June 5, but he did not reveal he was diagnosed with leukemia until a month later according to Cleveland.com. The Indians couldn’t confirm the report until they received permission from Carrasco who has been with the team since 2009. During the first half of the year, Carrasco said he was having issues with his energy levels which led to him getting tests done. That was when he found out his cancer diagnosis.
Indians manager Terry Francona said the plan is to keep the right-hander as a reliever because he will be more effective that way.
“Like I think when he started thinking about building up as a starter, it kind of seemed a little daunting, a little far away,” Francona said. “This is something he can latch onto and be a part of our team and really help us, and it doesn’t seem so far away.”
In the first half of the year, Carrasco posted a 4-6 record with an ERA of 4.98. He struck out 79 batters while walking 11 and giving up 14 home runs. In 2017, Carrasco made a name for himself by winning 18 games and posting an ERA of 3.29. Last year, Carrasco put together another strong campaign as he won 17 games while only losing 10 and he registered an ERA of 3.38. He also led the American League in complete games with two.
