Angels pitcher Chase Silseth was activated from the injured list recently and made his return to the mound on Friday after sitting out for a month with a concussion. He was hit in the back of the head earlier in the season, causing him to miss significant time.
He started the game against the Oakland A’s and looked good in his return. Silseth went four innings, allowing one run on two hits and he struck out three batters. It was a very solid return for the young pitcher to build some confidence heading into the long offseason.
Silseth spoke on making the return to the mound, and what it means for himself moving forward.
“It was good to be back out there and compete again,” Silseth said. “It feels awesome. The injury was unfortunate, but I tried to make the best of it. I wanted to fight and get out there one more time and I was able to do that, so I’m happy about that.”
He finished the 2023 campaign with an ERA of 3.96 and 56 strikeouts over 52.1 innings of work. It was a good season for the young pitcher, and now he can look ahead to 2024 with fresh eyes. He wants to continue getting better and slow down the game for himself this winter.
“Things kinda sped up on me,” Silseth said of the opening frame. “When you can’t do something for a month, it can take a toll on you. But my breathing really helped me slow things down. So that’ll be another priority in the offseason, just working on my conditioning and slowing things down.”
The former 11th-round draft pick of the Halos showed that he belongs in the big leagues, and will only continue to get better. Manager Phil Nevin gave his thoughts on the return outing from Silseth.
“It was good to see him get back out healthy and feeling good,” Angels manager Phil Nevin said. “I thought he threw the ball well. His tempo was good and he set the tone for the game.”
Now the offseason will allow him to continue working on his craft to help this team win more games next season. He made his case to be a part of the rotation and should be given an even bigger role next year.
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