Even if you don’t know the history, the moment was overwhelming. With context, it was the culmination of a long, long road back to the majors for Washington Nationals’ reliever Aaron Barrett, and once his inning of relief work was over last night in Atlanta, he broke down.
Barrett, a 2010 9th Round pick by the Nationals, who debuted in the big leagues in 2014 and appeared in 90 games between ‘14-’15, was working his way back from Tommy John surgery in 2016 when he fractured his right elbow throwing a pitch off the mound while rehabbing.