MILWAUKEE — It is an unfamiliar tale of redemption: an athlete not climbing back from arrest, rehab or ineffectiveness.
Glendon Rusch was out of baseball for a year after nearly dying from blood clot in his lung. He collapsed in the Chicago Cubs’ weight room in September 2006.
And, he figured, that was that. Career over. Last season at this time, he was sitting as a fan at Dodger Stadium wearing a Larry Rothschild Cubs jersey, ragging good-naturedly on his former pitching coach.
Wednesday at Miller Park, in perhaps his last audition to stay in the rotation, the left-handed pitcher reminded the Rockies not to Rusch to judgment. All he did was steer the Rockies to an 8-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on a night when all-star Ben Sheets struck out 11.
“Whatever opportunity I get, I will take it,” said Rusch, who benefited from the Rockies’ three home runs, a pair by Garrett Atkins and a two-run shot from Joe Koshansky. “I am grateful to be back in the game.”
After a year’s layoff, Rusch was ready to try a comeback. He signed with the Rockies on May 16, got a spot start two weeks later, then toiled for seven weeks in Triple-A waiting for another chance. What were a few months after sitting out a year, right? He exited Wednesday with one of the most impressive road lines by a Rockies starter this season: six innings, five hits, one run.
