Rays' McClanahan not satisfied after carrying no-hitter into 5th in his first appearance since 2023

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MILWAUKEE (AP) — Tampa Bay’s Shane McClanahan understands he needs time to build his stamina back up as the two-time All-Star pitches again for the first time in nearly three years.

That doesn’t mean he’s going to be happy about it.

McClanahan carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning Tuesday in his first major league appearance since Aug. 2, 2023. Then he allowed three runs — two earned — in the fifth inning and took the loss as Tampa Bay fell 6-2 to the Milwaukee Brewers.

Considering he had gone 972 days between starts while recovering from a second Tommy John surgery and nerve-related issues in his left triceps, McClanahan pitched as well as just about anyone could have expected. The 28-year-old left-hander wasn’t nearly satisfied.

“I can give you an excuse that it’s been 2 1/2 years, but I’m not going to do that,” McClanahan said. “I want to win. I’m here to win. I’ve got to execute better. I’m frustrated. Obviously I want to win and help this team. I let them down today.”

His teammates had a different take on his performance.

“I thought he looked really, really good for his first day out in almost 1,000 days,” catcher Nick Fortes said. “That’s unheard of. I’m really, really proud of him.”

McClanahan went 33-16 with a 3.02 ERA for Tampa Bay from 2021-23. He joined Herb Score and Frank Tanana as the only left-handers since 1920 to post a 3.02 ERA or lower with 450 strikeouts or more through their first three seasons.

He underwent his second Tommy John surgery in August 2023, knocking him out for the rest of that year and for 2024 as well. McClanahan was working his way back last year when an inflamed nerve in his triceps caused him to leave his third spring training start.

After making three minor league appearances last July, McClanahan underwent surgery in August to address the nerve issue in his triceps. He went 3-0 with a 2.08 ERA in four spring training starts.

That set the stage for his return Tuesday. McClanahan looked right at home while allowing only one base runner through the first four innings, on a walk to Gary Sánchez.

“It’s where I belong,” McClanahan said. “It’s easy when you know this is what God put you on this Earth to do. I was anxious to get out there and all the buildup, all the time you spend kind of thinking about your first start, I was mindful of it, I know it’s been a long time. You just kind of know that you might not be exactly who you want to be just yet, and that’s frustrating because I have such high standards for myself out there as these guys do for themselves.”

Rays manager Kevin Cash said he wants to limit McClanahan to around 80 pitches per outing for now. McClanahan understands building endurance is a process but wishes that wasn’t the case.

“Unfortunately, it is a process,” McClanahan said. “The road isn’t always straight and smooth. I’m going to take it as a learning experience. I’m very grateful to be back, but I want to win. I don’t really care about anything else other than helping this team win. I’m frustrated.”

McClanahan started to tire in the fifth.

He walked Sánchez to open that inning. One out later, Brandon Lockridge singled for the Brewers’ first hit. McClanahan retired Sal Frelick on a liner to center but walked Joey Ortiz to load the bases.

Brice Turang then sent a 2-2 pitch into right for a single that ended up bringing home three runs. Frelick was caught in a rundown and eventually got tagged out at second, but replays showed that center fielder Cedric Mullins lost the ball while applying the tag. That made Frelick safe and allowed a third run to score.

McClanahan ended up striking out four and allowing three runs (two earned), two hits and three walks in 4 2/3 innings.

“I never want to feel like I felt out there again,” McClanahan said of his fifth-inning struggles. “It’s a (lousy) feeling to go out here and just kind of feel like the train’s starting to come off the tracks a little bit. I really don’t want to give you excuses because at the end of the day, I’ve just got to pitch better.”

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