When the 2014 Major League Baseball season opened, Long County native Dustin McGowan had fought his way back from injuries to secure the fifth spot in the Toronto Blue Jays starting rotation.
It was a glorious comeback after fighting injuries for nearly six years.
While on the starting mound, he had several outings with moderate success, but he also struggled at times showing fatigue.
Last month, Blue Jays manager John Gibbons moved McGowan to the bullpen, where he closed out the season last year.
Since the move, the former Blue Tide star has had success in limited action. As of Saturday, he had been on the mound in eight games, striking out five batters and allowing only one earned run. He has allowed four hits, walked one and his season ERA has dropped to 4.37. Wednesday, McGowan relieved Brett Cecil in the bottom of the eighth. With the Blue Jays leading 6-2 and having two outs, McGowan struck out right-hander Rajai Davis to close out the inning and hold on to the lead. Toronto went on to win, 8-2.
In addition to McGowan doing well in his new role, the Jays have been on a tear, going 14-2 and improving to 37-24, which is the third best record in the MLB. They currently have a five game lead over the Orioles and six over the Yankees.