The 6-foot-7 right-hander lost three seasons to Covid and Tommy John surgery but finally made it to the big leagues at age 30 last week.
Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Michael Petersen throws to the plate during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels Saturday, June 22, 2024, in Los Angeles. LOS ANGELES – Like hundreds of professional players, Michael Petersen was looking for something to do, some way to keep in touch with baseball after Covid caused the minor-league season to be canceled in 2020.
“So one of the guys in the lineup, I threw a curveball and he bails out. Hits the deck – strike one. I throw another curveball. He bails out, hits the deck – strike two. He turns and yells out at me, ‘What are you doing? Just throw a fastball, man.’ I didn’t realize he was the No. 9 hitter. He was the worst guy. So I throw a fastball. He doesn’t even get his foot lifted before it goes by him. He goes, ‘Alright, never mind’ and walks away.
“I was a free agent at the end of each of those years,” he said. “The first time it didn’t click that baseball might not be in my future. They spent so much money they’re going to re-sign me for nothing. The second time around it was, ‘Man, this might be it.’ “It felt good. It was such a long road,” Petersen said. “The funny part is I had no clue I was throwing that hard. After the inning one of my buddies came over and said, ‘Pumping 100s or what?’ I said, ‘I hope.’ ‘No, you were. I think you threw one pitch under 100.’ Oh, this is interesting.”
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