Dodgers Interview: Emmet Sheehan Reflects on Emotional Return to the Mound

LOS ANGELES — For the first time in nearly two years, Emmet Sheehan took the mound in a Major League game Wednesday night. The 24-year-old right-hander, fresh off a grueling Tommy John recovery, gave the Dodgers four strong innings against the Padres, allowing just one run, striking out six, and walking none. After the game, Sheehan spoke with quiet emotion about what the moment meant to him.

“Yeah, it was awesome,” Sheehan said of his return. “Once I was out there, it was kind of just back in compete mode once you see a hitter in the box. But definitely before and then after—feeling the emotions of just the past year for sure.”

Despite missing the entire 2024 season, Sheehan looked sharp, pounding the zone with confidence and keeping San Diego’s lineup off balance.

“Execution was really good,” he said. “No walks—I’ll take that every time.”

Sheehan’s fastball velocity may have been slightly down from pre-surgery levels, but the results spoke for themselves. Through 65 pitches, he stayed in control, working ahead in counts and mixing speeds effectively. The command, he said, comes from staying in sync mechanically.

“I think it’s just being in control of my body, being able to repeat my mechanics,” Sheehan explained. “Trying to keep that release point consistent and making adjustments when I do throw pitches where I don’t want them to be.”

That consistency has carried over across all levels this year. Counting his minor league outings, Sheehan now has 27 strikeouts to just one walk—a remarkable ratio for any pitcher, let alone one returning from surgery.

“I don’t really know why it’s come back so quickly,” he admitted. “But I’m definitely happy with it. It just comes from work being put in—all the mound work before throwing, all the bullpens before even facing hitters.”

While the comeback has gone smoothly on the field, Sheehan acknowledged how difficult the road to recovery was mentally and emotionally.

“It was good to spend time with those guys,” he said of his rehab group in Arizona. “Not having to go through it alone—that was big. Watching what this team did last year was really special and definitely motivated me to get back out there.”

One of the more meaningful parts of Wednesday’s game was seeing fellow rookie Justin Wrobleski follow Sheehan out of the bullpen and pitch five innings of his own. Together, the pair of young arms held the Padres to three runs over nine innings and helped preserve the bullpen during a tight stretch in the schedule.

“It was really cool to see Robo go out and do that,” Sheehan said. “For him to eat up those innings and to do it like that was awesome.”

Though the Padres pushed across two runs in the ninth to tie the game, Will Smith’s walk-off homer ended it on a high note—and let Sheehan’s debut remain the focus.

Looking back, the magnitude of the moment wasn’t lost on the young starter. Sheehan had set a personal goal of returning to the big leagues by midseason, and after months of work behind the scenes, he hit that mark.

“It means a lot,” he said. “There’s a lot of stuff you can’t account for when you’re coming back from an injury. You can do everything right and still have setbacks. I’m just really thankful that it didn’t go that way—and that it’s been all smooth so far.”

Asked about a fastball that nearly buzzed Manny Machado, Sheehan laughed, admitting it wasn’t intentional—but welcomed the intensity of facing top-tier talent in a division rivalry.

“Anytime you get to face a hitter that good, it’s really cool,” he said. “Definitely wasn’t trying to throw the ball there, but… yeah, it felt good.”

Whether or not the start came in a division series or against a lesser opponent, Sheehan said the thrill of just being back would’ve been the same.

“I think it would’ve been a pretty similar feeling no matter who I was facing,” he said. “Just because it was the first one back. But yeah, definitely cool to be able to do it against a team like that.”

With his first test behind him and a successful debut now in the books, Sheehan’s return gives the Dodgers yet another boost—this time, from within.

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