It was a moment three years in the making—and it might have been the spark the Cincinnati Reds desperately needed.
Tejay Antone made his long-awaited return to the mound on Tuesday night at Wrigley Field, stepping into a big-league game for the first time since April 2024. The Reds reliever, who underwent his third Tommy John surgery, delivered a scoreless eighth inning that had his teammates, the crowd, and the broadcast booth buzzing.
Antone struck out Alex Bregman looking, then watched center fielder TJ Friedl make a highlight-reel catch to rob Ian Happ. He capped it off by punching out Seiya Suzuki looking, letting out a roar as he headed back to the dugout.
"The emotion that the Reds got from seeing Antone back on the mound, come off screaming into the dugout—that's the emotion we saw this club play with early in this season," said analyst Jeff Brantley during the Reds.TV broadcast. "They've got to figure out a way to find it every single night."
And find it they did. In the top of the ninth, the Reds rallied for four runs, capped by an unusual two-run sacrifice fly from Elly De La Cruz that gave Cincinnati a 6-4 lead. Brantley couldn't help but note: "You don't see a sac fly with two RBIs very often!"
Friedl's diving grab in center also drew praise. "I think Friedl was gonna run through that wall to get to that baseball," Brantley said. "He never broke stride, never stopped, not even for a second. Nice play. That's a great play by Friedl."
Though the Reds ultimately fell 7-6 in 10 innings, Antone's return was the story of the night. Play-by-play announcer John Sadak captured the sentiment: "The emotions that must be going through Tejay Antone."
Brantley added: "I can't even imagine. You work so hard for so long, and have so much disappointment. And now here I am again, on the mound. His teammates know the physical, emotional, mental struggles just to get back on the mound. They know."
For a team looking to recapture its early-season fire, Antone's comeback might be the spark that turns things around.