Tejay Antone Shares Emotional Details of His First Reds Outing in 754 Days

Cincinnati Reds pitcher Tejay Antone has been through Tommy John surgery and recovery three separate times in his career. Bouncing back from the surgery one time is difficult enough. Bouncing back two times is incredible. But coming back from it a third time should be impossible.

But Antone never wavered, and after 754 days, he was back in the big leagues with the Reds.

Following Emilio Pagán's leg injury this week, the Reds elevated Antone to the big leagues again.

On Wednesday night, Antone took the ball in the bottom of the eighth inning of a game the Reds were trailing by two runs. He tossed a perfect inning with two strikeouts, both on his patented breaking pitches.

The Reds would go on to lose the game in extra innings, but the story of the night still revolved around Antone.

Tejay Antone is a Role Model to Baseball Players Everywhere

May 6, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Cincinnati Reds pitcher Tejay Antone (70) delivers the ball during the eighth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | Matt Marton-Imagn Images

"It felt great. Super pumped in that moment. I came into the dugout and got a huge congratulations from my teammates," Antone said after the loss, via Reds reporter Charlie Goldsmith. "I walked to the end of the dugout and it hit me then. A couple of tears. I had to step away for a second. Wow. Amazing night. Amazing comeback. Wrap up of the story. It's cool to continue writing it. It's not over. It's just getting started again."

I could dive into the horizontal and vertical break of his pitches. I could dive into the Stuff+ or whiff rate. I could discuss his more advanced arsenal. But that's not what the story of Antone is anymore.

Antone's story is about perseverance more than anything. Against all odds, he made it back to the biggest stage in baseball.

Antone struck out two of the three hitters he faced. The other one was a deep flyout to center field that TJ Friedl made an incredible play on. Friedl ran full speed toward the brick wall and ivy in center field at Wrigley Field, narrowly avoiding disaster by running into the wall.

Reds country, the fans, the players, and the coaching staff would metaphorically run through a wall for Antone. Friedl almost did exactly that to keep a 0 on the board for his teammate.

This certainly isn't the last we've seen from Antone. As he stated, his story is just getting started.

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