Tyler Glasnow finally got back on an MLB mound Tuesday, his first start since early May after dealing with those brutal back spasms that landed him on the injured list. And man, the Atlanta Braves wasted absolutely no time trying to make him regret it. He piled up seven strikeouts in his return, sure, but he also coughed up six hits and three earned runs against the Braves. The wild part? Every single one of those early struggles, all three runs and most of those hits? Yeah, that was *all* in the first inning.
When Bloops and Grounders Turn Into a Nightmare
Seriously, talk about a rough re-entry into the big leagues. Glasnow got absolutely stung right out of the gate, watching the Braves quickly dig the Dodgers into a 3-0 hole before he even broke a sweat. And the real kicker here, the frustrating part for any pitcher, is that none of those hits were what you’d call well-struck. We’re talking bloopers and grounders that just had eyes for the green stuff.
Drake Baldwin kicked things off with a leadoff grounder that perfectly snuck through to right field. Then Matt Olson pulled off almost the exact same trick, hitting another grounder to the *exact same location*. You can almost hear Glasnow thinking, “Are you kidding me right now?” Mauricio Dubón brought in the first run with a laughably soft 68.7 mph bloop that found a patch of grass. And then, just to add insult to injury, Michael Harris II followed that up with a 77.9 mph liner that somehow just squeaked past second baseman Tommy Edman. Dude even got a slice of luck when a blown foul tip call went his way, preventing Harris from scoring right there and then. Mike Yastrzemski finally struck out to end the inning, but not before Glasnow had already thrown a mind-boggling 35 pitches. That’s nearly half his total pitch count from his final rehab start with Triple-A Oklahoma City! What a way to come back, right?
The Switch Flipped, And Seven Ks Later
But here’s the thing about guys like Glasnow: you don’t stay in the big leagues if you can’t make adjustments. And once he got that chaotic, bloop-filled first-inning mess out of his system, it was a completely different ballgame. The guy settled in, and he settled in *big time*. Over the next four innings, after that wild opening frame, he allowed only two more baserunners. Just two! He found his groove, started carving batters up, and showed everyone why he’s such a crucial arm.
Glasnow was eventually pulled after the fifth inning, hitting 89 pitches total for the night. And by the time he walked off the mound, having shaken off all that early nonsense, the score was tied right back up at 3-3. That’s a massive gut check, facing down that kind of early adversity, battling through those frustrating bloop hits, and then absolutely finding his rhythm to keep his team right in the fight.
So yeah, Tyler Glasnow’s return was definitely a roller coaster, starting with that infuriating bloop nightmare. But coming off the IL, pushing through a brutal first inning, and then dominating for four more frames? That’s not just a step, that’s a *huge* statement. You gotta be feeling good about that comeback.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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