Dustin May’s life was almost cut short last year.
While recovering from a second Tommy John surgery over the summer, the Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher was eating a salad. A leaf of lettuce got stuck in his throat and tore his esophagus, requiring emergency surgery.
May did not want to go to the hospital, but wives know all.
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“If I wouldn’t have went into surgery that night, I wouldn’t have woke up, probably. It was definitely life or death. It’s all thanks to my wife,” he told Fox News Digital in a recent interview. “I was trying to convince her I didn’t need to go, and she said it’s not an option.”
May got called up in 2019, and his arm has always been one of the nastiest in the major leagues. However, since 2021, he’s made just 25 starts due to two Tommy John surgeries and his lettuce mishap.
When he’s on the field, he’s been great. His ERA in that span is 3.24. He’s also made all five starts this year, pitching to about a 4.00 ERA.
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“I feel great. It’s just a blessing to be able to put on the uniform and be back on the field now. Whether the results are good or bad, I’m gonna be in a good mood going home, just because the game was taken away from me for so long and being able to jump right back into it and not skip a beat has been great,” May said.
Arm injuries happen, especially for pitchers. But the rest of your season, and almost your life, being cut short due to eating a salad? That was a tough pill to swallow for May, who admitted he couldn’t help but think,”Can something go my way?”
“It’s definitely crossed my mind,” he said.
With the help of his wife, he’s also used the power of prayer.
“There’s been a lot of praying and a lot of talking with my wife and a lot of sit-down conversations just trying to wrap our heads around this and trying to put our best foot forward to not put the ‘why me’ face on. There’s been a lot of positive talk, a lot of affirmations with me and her. That’s been our biggest thing.”
May has always leaned on his faith, “but my spiritual journey has definitely grown over like the last nine-ish months since my surgery.”
“It definitely got a lot closer, because I was almost taken away, so I definitely wanted to have the opportunity to thank Him to be able to still be here and still live out my dream and use the abilities and gifts that He blessed me with.”
“So, thanks to [my wife] and the good Lord above.”
Now that he’s back, May is trying to be as stress-free on the bump as possible. That wasn’t the case when he returned from his first Tommy John surgery because he was a top prospect.
“I feel like, earlier in my career, definitely after my first [Tommy John surgery] when I came back, I definitely felt like there was pressure on me to be the person that I was before,” he said. “But, I mean, after all this it went down, after my second [Tommy John] and after my esophagus surgery, there’s a lot bigger picture items in my life now, not just being my world so wrapped and focused on baseball. It’s definitely still a center point, absolutely. But if things go south or if things go good, I’m still gonna try and keep a level head.
“I’m just happy and blessed to be able to put the uniform on again and be out there with my guys because that was something that I had missed and felt like I hadn’t been a part of it in so long.
“I felt like a fan because I was so far away from it. Now I feel like I’m contributing. It’s a way cooler feeling.”
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