In 2016, Oakland Athletics relief pitcher Ryan Dull set a Major League Baseball record for the longest streak of stranding inherited runners, leaving 36 straight men on base.
Seven years later, the reliever is trying to fight his way back to the big leagues.
Dull put together an All-Star caliber season in 2016, logging a 2.42 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and 169 ERA+ over 74.1 innings pitched in 70 appearances. It was his first full season in the big leagues.
Dull suffered a right knee strain, landing him on the Disable List in 2017. In 2018, he bounced back and forth between the A's big league roster and the club's Triple-A affiliate in Nashville. He was designated for assignment in 2019.
Dull landed with the New York Yankees and then the Toronto Blue Jays. He did not pitch in 2020, during the COVID-shortened season.
In 2021, he made 28 appearances for the Seattle Mariners' Triple-A affiliate. He was released later in the season, and has pitched for the High Point Rockers of the Atlantic League since.
At age 33, Dull still feels he has a lot left in the tank, and even more to prove.
Dull has recently been preparing for potential showcases, and hopes to land an invitation to spring training in 2023. He recently spoke with me on the Jack Vita Show about his comeback, his time with the A's, pitching, and much, much more.
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