Happy Jose Day! Fernandez and Cain make 2015 debuts in head-to-head matchup of former All-Stars
Mark down Thursday afternoon’s Marlins-Giants game as a must watch. Two former All-Star pitchers coming off serious injuries make their debut in the finale of their three-game series.
Veteran Giants ace Matt Cain hasn’t pitched since July 9, 2014 after having season-ending elbow surgery last season. The three-time All-Star missed the Giants run to their third World Series title in five years, but should be a boost to their rotation. The Giants are in a tough, close race with the Dodgers in the NL West.
The wait has been even longer for Miami’s Jose Fernandez though. The 2013 NL rookie of the year hasn’t pitched in 14 months, since May 9, 2014 thanks to Tommy John surgery. Fernandez was one of the best pitchers in all of baseball as a 20 year old in 2013 and his return to the Marlins rotation is being widely celebrated.
The Marlins have dubbed Thursday #JoseDay at the ballpark and every fan in attendance will receive a “Jose Head” giveaway. A Jose Head appears to be a cutout of Fernandez’s head, on a stick. A fun giveaway for the whole family.
Fernandez got the festivities started earlier on Wednesday. Marlins superfan Andres Salgado, to show solidarity with Fernandez, had not cut his hair since his Tommy John surgery last year. Fernandez himself grabbed the clippers and cut Salgado’s hair to celebrate his return.
There’s a lot of hoopla, but it should be a fun day and a great pitching matchup. And maybe Fernandez is exactly what the disappointing Marlins need to get going as the second half of the season approaches.
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Ian Denomme is an editor and writer for Yahoo Sports. Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter.
