Fans flood Dustin May with emotional messages after Dodgers pitcher returns from life-threatening illness

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Dustin Mays was flooded with support from fans when he returned to the mound for the first time in more than 22 months this week. 

The MLB star closed his eyes and took a deep breath before throwing out a pitch in the matchup against the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday. 

Mays, 27, had a near-death experience that sidelined his career on July 10, 2024.

After taking a bit of salad, he immediately sensed something was wrong with his throat and rushed to the hospital. 

The MLB player had a torn esophagus that required emergency surgery to repair the damage. 

On Wednesday, Mays documented his triumphant return to the MLB on Instagram, posting a photo of himself walking on to the field in his uniform, looking up at the sky. 

He captioned the post, "We Back Babyyyyy." 

Dozens of people flocked to May's comment section to leave supportive messages. 

One person commented, "Welcome back Code Red."

Someone else said, "Welcome back, brother! Awesome to see you in blue again and healthy." 

Another person wrote, "Happy to see you back on the bound; you deserved to ball tf out there #onlythebeginning."

Someone else commented, "Come back player of the year! Calling it right now!!"

Another person left a comment, writing, "Underrated and that 85 number means everything to me stay healthy." 

Several MLB players also welcomed Mays back to the game.

Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Yency Almonte was among the first to comment, writing, "Welcome back my guy." 

Washington Nationals starting pitcher Josiah Gray also left a comment, writing, "sooo Dope!" 

Dustin Mays said he almost died after eating a salad

In an interview with the "Los Angeles Times," Mays recalled the scary experience.

It happened during a dinner out in Arizona during the summer. 

At the time, he was already recovering from a torn elbow ligament that resulted in a Tommy John surgery. 

After taking a bit of lettuce during his meal, he had an instantly "mega-painful" feeling in his throat and stomach that lasted 15 minutes. 

"It was definitely a life-altering event," the 27-year-old athlete said. 

"It was definitely very serious," he said, adding that, "I probably wouldn't have made it through the night if I didn't have it." 

As a result of the surgery, Mays now has a large scar from his chest to his stomach. 

"It just kind of gives me a different viewpoint on a lot of things in life,” May said. “Just seeing how something so non-baseball-related can just be like — it can be gone in a second.”