Carlos Carrasco loves the Cleveland Guardians.
He spent more than a decade with the team, which happened to have given him his first chance as a major leaguer.
In Cleveland, Carrasco grew as a pitcher and as a person as part of an incredible group of individuals.
He got to pitch in division races and even in the postseason.
He matured and became an anchor to an excellent rotation.
Then decline happened, and he was shipped to the New York Mets alongside Francisco Lindor.
This offseason, however, he returned to the place in which he feels at home.
Making his spring debut on Saturday, he pitched a scoreless inning, but allowed a hit and walked one with no strikeouts.
Later, after the game, he made a shocking admission: he was nervous.
“Carlos Carrasco on his first start back with CLE: ‘As soon as I got to the mound, I had a lot of feelings. I pitched here for 11 years. … I was so nervous I couldn’t feel the ball. I’ve been playing baseball for a long time, but I was so, so, so nervous going out to the mound,'” Guardians insider Mandy Bell tweeted.
Carlos Carrasco on his first start back with CLE: "As soon as I got to the mound, I had a lot of feelings. I pitched here for 11 years. … I was so nervous I couldn’t feel the ball. I’ve been playing baseball for a long time, but I was so, so, so nervous going out to the mound."
— Mandy Bell (@MandyBell02) February 24, 2024
Usually, a pitcher becomes nervous when he cares about something.
In this particular case, you can feel how much Carrasco loves and cares about the Guardians as a franchise.
Baseball moved him enough to seek some time at Driveline to improve his stuff and give himself a better chance at prolonging his baseball career.
That chance will come with the Guards, and nothing makes him happier.
He is coming off a horrible 2023 in which he posted a 6.80 ERA in 90 innings.
He, and the Guardians, still believe there is more left in the tank.
NEXT: Guardians Feature A Lineup Full Of Key Players On Monday
