Dodgers: Caleb Ferguson Battled Butterflies Before His First Game Since 2020

Caleb Ferguson was a little nervous before taking the mound for the first time since Tommy John surgery.

A few weeks before the Dodgers began their 2020 championship run, reliever Caleb Ferguson underwent Tommy John for the second time in his baseball career. The southpaw was having a breakout campaign that season. He owned a 2.89 ERA in 21 appearances after being called up in late July.

20 months later, Ferguson, or "Fergie" as he known to some, pitched a clean seventh inning in the Dodgers 5-4 win over the Diamondbacks on Monday night. When he took the mound to face Arizona's David Peralta, Ferguson admitted that he was a little nervous on the mound at Dodger Stadium.

“First hitter, I had a lot of nerves there. Couldn’t really feel the ball in my hand. Kind of felt like I was making my debut again. I’m really happy to be back.”

For the Dodgers, Ferguson's return probably happened sooner than they would've liked. He wasn't sharp in Triple-A during his rehab assignment. He allowed six earned runs in 4.2 innings pitched and struggled with his control overall (9.0 BB/9).

After Monday's victory, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts remarked that Fergie got the call "out of need" for a bullpen, and a pitching staff, that has been running on fumes. Even so, Roberts liked what he saw out of the lefty in his first game since September of 2020.

“That’s the Caleb that we expect to see. Breaking ball for a strike. The fastball that he used to punch Perdomo, that’s as good a fastball as you’re going to see.”