Florie

BOSTON -- The crowd noise wasn't much above a murmur when Bryce Florie opened the bullpen door at Fenway Park on Thursday night and stepped onto a major league field for the first time in more than nine months.

But the reaction turned to a roar in the seconds it took Florie to jog to the mound, as fans realized they were witnessing the culmination of Florie's comeback from being hit in the face by a line drive.

"I can't put it into words," Florie said after Boston's 4-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. "It's huge. It's been a goal and dream of mine to get there."

"From the first day to today, I wasn't sure it was going to happen," he said.

Florie hadn't pitched for the Red Sox since last Sept. 8, when he was hit in the right eye by a liner off the bat of the New York Yankees' Ryan Thompson. The blow fractured several bones in his face and left his vision impaired.

Florie entered against the Devil Rays with two outs in the second inning after starter Frank Castillo left the game with a strain in his right side.

Florie's first pitch was a strike to Andy Sheets, whom he eventually retired on a grounder.

"I didn't know if I'd throw it for a strike or throw it off the backstop," Florie said.

The 31-year-old right-hander received his second standing ovation of the inning when he trotted to the dugout to get handshakes from Red Sox teammates and coaches, led by pitching coach Joe Kerrigan.

Florie allowed one run on two hits in 2 1-3 innings, striking out one without allowing a walk. He threw 29 pitches, 19 for strikes.

"You know, it was a long trek back," manager Jimy Williams said. "Not many people could do that but you've seen one. That's pretty special."

The emotion of the moment didn't hit Florie until he returned to the clubhouse to reflect on his accomplishment, and received a flood of calls from friends and family, including his dad, Robert, who was crying.

"It was as big for them as it was for me," he said.

Florie was activated Wednesday after the Red Sox placed Pedro Martinez on the disabled list. The day before, the Red Sox had offered the right-handed Florie a rehabilitation assignment at Triple-A Pawtucket, and it looked like Florie's major league comeback wouldn't come in Boston.

Florie said he probably wouldn't accept the assignment because he was ready for the major leagues. Florie was 0-1 with a 1.64 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 11 innings in a rehabilitation stint with the Double-A Trenton Thunder.

The line drive off Thompson's bat hit Florie in the right eye socket. The pitcher kicked his legs, then rolled over and sat up with blood dripping from his face.

Doctors were initially pessimistic that Florie could come back. His twin brother, Bryan, felt the same way in the offseason after the two played catch with a baseball with a bag tied around it to make it easier to see.

"He said, 'You're crazy. What are you doing? You can't even see,"' Florie said.

Florie admitted he had his doubts. At first, he said, his vision was so bad couldn't watch TV without getting a headache.

But the swelling in his face went down, and the pitcher began rehabilitation. Doctors cleared Florie to play in January, and again this week. He's grateful, and proud, for the chance to wear a big league uniform again.

"I made it back, for at least one more outing," he said. "I can sleep good tonight for the first time in nine months."