Ben Sheets Shines in Braves Debut

July 19, 2010 was the last time Ben Sheets was seen on a mound in a major league game. In that game Sheets went 6.2 innings and allowed only two runs as his Oakland Athletics fell to the Red Sox. 

Ten short days later he went on the DL and it appeared that the four-time All-Star had made his last appearance in the MLB. 

Fast forward nearly two years to today, and the potential Comeback Player of the Year dawned an Atlanta Braves uniform as his new team faced off against the Mets. The Braves, in need of starting pitching badly, decided to give Sheets a try. 

He did not disappoint. 

Sheets worked his way easily through the third place Mets' lineup, yielding only two hits in six scoreless innings pitched. He also struck out five, including the first batter he faced, while walking only one. 

The only trouble Sheets came across was in the top of third. After allowing a leadoff single to Mets' catcher Josh Thole, and then striking out the next two batters, Sheets gave up a double to David Murphy. Thole was held at third, and with the two men on and in scoring position, Sheets had to deal with one of the most dangerous hitters in all of baseball in David Wright. 

After working a full count, Wright flied out to right to get Sheets out of his one and only jam. 

He was lifted for a pinch hitter in the bottom of the sixth, ending his day with 88 pitches and 10 consecutive batters retired. 

Sheets next start will be against the first place Washington Nationals on Saturday, July 21. 

The 33-year-old came back to prove that he still had something left in the tank, and after today's performance it appears that he may have more than even he imagined. 

*Stats are from ESPN.com.