Back on mound, Rangers’ Matt Harrison ‘feels like a kid’ again

Matt Harrison has been forced to take baby steps during his comeback from spinal fusion surgery last summer.

So it’s only fitting that a childlike wave of emotion washed over him as he threw off a mound Monday for the first time since May 13, his last start for the Rangers.

“I felt like a little kid again out there, like it was my first little league game or something,” said Harrison, 29. “Just the nerves of doing it again, it has been almost 11 months.”

That’s a long time to go without doing anything, much less something that has been your livelihood, your passion, your life for more than 25 years.

“It almost felt like a day when I start a game — those nerves, the butterflies in the stomach, the good ones, not being able to eat as much that day,” he said. “It’s fun again.”

Fun has not been on the agenda during the past 11 months. It has been a long road just to get to this point.

Harrison lost weight with the hope of taking some strain off his back. But several major hurdles remain, including whether his back, which required lumbar disc fusion surgery last June, can withstand the pressure of pitching on a regular basis and whether Harrison can perform pain-free.

He’s dealt with minor setbacks during his recovery, including a bout of hip tightness in January that delayed his rehab program.

For now, however, the left-hander is savoring the steady progress he’s making. He’ll throw off a mound again Thursday, ratcheting up his pitch count by five pitches every three days. On Monday, it was all fastballs.

“When I get up to 30 to 40 pitches, I’ll start adding some [different] pitches,” he said. “Right now, I’m just getting my fastball location.”

The ultimate test, of course, is still a month or two away. He’ll need to show himself and the Rangers that his back can handle the rigors of a game — the quick jaunts in any direction off the mound, covering first base in a flash, the stamina to stay on the mound.

“He’s been working extremely hard,” Rangers assistant general manager Thad Levine said. “So far, he’s been progressing forward without any sort of setbacks, which is very encouraging. I think we sit guardedly optimistic as we watch his progress.”

Harrison has been one of the most likeable players in the Rangers’ clubhouse since his All-Star season in 2012, when he won 18 games and was the Rangers’ Pitcher of the Year. He earned the Rangers Good Guy Award in December for his professionalism and courtesy with the media.

Three back surgeries since 2012 limited him to six starts the past two seasons. The latest surgery was viewed as the best chance for Harrison to resume a normal life without back problems. But there was no history of someone having the operation and being able to pitch again in the major leagues.

“Not to sound cliché, but there’s no one you’d want it more for based on the work he’s put in to try to get back,” Levine said.

Harrison is enjoying the process, especially now that he’s back on a mound. He’ll continue to take it slow, each step toward that return to the mound at Globe Life Park.

“This is a big step in the whole rehab process,” he said after Monday’s 15 pitches. “I’ve been looking forward to this day for a long time. Luckily, I’ve been able to do it again because what I’ve been through, it’s been rough.”

He feels the warmth and support from the Rangers. It just makes him want to make it back that much more, not necessarily for himself, but for all those who helped him get back here.

“I talk to those guys and they always ask how things are going, and it means a lot to know they care and support what I’m doing,” he said of the Rangers’ front office.

“I’m trying to do it for the doctors, the trainers, the people that have helped me get back and kind of repay what they’ve done for me — to get back on that field and throwing some meaningful games again.”

This story was originally published March 24, 2015 at 7:00 PM with the headline "Back on mound, Rangers’ Matt Harrison ‘feels like a kid’ again."