Dodgers right-hander Brandon McCarthy took the mound in an actual game for the first time in 14 months with the Dodgers Advance Single-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes on Saturday evening and, for the most part, he is pleased with the results.

“Not bad,” said McCarthy, who underwent Tommy John surgery on April 30, 2015. “Very aware that it was the first time out. It felt almost like the first time I was in a game ever. It’s kind of the way it’s been going, live BPs where you feel really good one day and then not as great the next, and some days your stuff is there and some days it’s not. It’s riding that wave up and down but at least knowing that I crossed hurdle one, which is game action and being able to get out there and feel alright is a great start.”

After an eight-pitch first inning in which the 32-year-old Glendale, California native induced a fly out to center, a ground out to second and a soft comebacker, McCarthy gave up a leadoff home run in his second inning of work. He then induced a comebacker, issued a walk that was followed by a wild pitch, induced yet another comebacker and retired the final batter he faced on another fly ball to center field.

McCarthy made 20 total pitches in his first rehab start – 11 for strikes.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

Although McCarthy got all of his pitches in during his two-inning – 20-pitch outing (plus 15 additional pitches in the bullpen afterwards), he felt the rush of competition and altered his strategy a bit once on the mound.

“Not as many change-ups as I would have liked. The one I did throw bounced but I realized it a little bit more once I got out of the game,” McCarthy said. “But I wanted to get outs so I was trying to throw my stuff.”

As he often does on Twitter, the 6′ 7″ – 220-pound right-hander shared his sense of humor when asked what is was like being on the sidelines for the past 14 months.

“You feel like a professional worker-outer, like I feel like support staff on a team, like I’m scouting and less playing,” said McCarthy. “You see everybody putting their cleats on and get ready for games and that’s usually when I put on some shoes and watch for a little bit and then go home. There isn’t that ramp up. I do all the same stuff I would do if I was playing, I just don’t get that peak of getting into a game.”

So what’s next for McCarthy?

“I think tomorrow we go in and do a normal day-one and every day you kind of evaluate,” McCarthy said. “If one day is a little more sore and you need to take an extra day, you take that. Everything is super flexible at this point. We’re not on any rigid timetable.”