Brandon Williamson returned from the injured list to make his first start of the season for the Cincinnati Reds Sunday at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. The Martin County West graduate went 3 2/3 innings in an eventual 4-3 Reds win over Milwaukee in 11 innings.
“I was ready," said Williamson in the postgame press conference. "Pitching’s pitching. Throw good pitches, get guys out. I had been working all summer to be ready for that call."
Williamson was on a limit of 65 pitches (he would throw 66, 44 for strikes) and allowed two earned runs and four hits, did not walk a batter and struck out five.
He retired his first seven batters in order and struck out the side in the second inning and recorded his 100th career strikeout when he fanned Milwaukee’s Brewer Hicklen swinging.
“It felt great," Williamson said. "I got some nerves early that I was pretty ecstatic to feel, because I hadn’t felt nerves in a while.”
Williamson had to be shut down in mid-March during Spring Training because of a left shoulder strain. Initially, he wasn't expected to miss too much time before setbacks changed everything.
Williamson had four rehab starts in the minors but was halted again by continued soreness before it was revealed that a Bennett lesion -- or a mineralization of a posterior ligament -- had developed in his shoulder.
Williamson opted for injections and therapy instead of season-ending surgery. He also put on 15 pounds and worked on adding strength to his hips so he could put less stress on his shoulder.
"I just felt like there was a chance I could get back this year," Williamson said. "I’m really glad it went like this, because it was kind of 50-50. I didn’t really know. I just wanted to try it.
“I’m not thinking too much about next year," Williamson noted. "Hopefully just trying to feel good for the next start.”
After pitching and doing rehab at the team’s complex in Goodyear, Ariz., Williamson threw 2 2/3 innings and 50 pitches for Triple-A Louisville Tuesday in his first rehab start since being shut down.
“Brandon has been working for a while, really all summer, to get all the way back and make sure he’s healthy," Reds manager David Bell said. "So, there’s been different points in the summer where he’s been built up a little bit and kind of had to back off. So it wasn’t really starting from scratch. We felt like he was prepared to pitch here, just not very deep into the game.
“It’s great to see him healthy. We’ll build him up the rest of the way while he’s here.”
The Reds next host Houston for three games in four days. Tuesday is an off day.
Then comes a 10-game road trip to four cities that concludes with three games at Target Field vs. the Twins Sept. 13-14.