McCrory Gets His 2nd Chance

BOSTON, Sept. 2 -- After enduring a brutal big league debut earlier this season, and then dealing with a shoulder injury when he was sent back to the minors, hard-throwing reliever Bob McCrory is hoping for a smoother time during his latest major league stint.

McCrory, 26, was one of three pitchers recalled Tuesday, part of the team's wave of September call-ups. Radhamés Liz, who started against the Red Sox, and reliever Kam Mickolio were also recalled after a short stint at Class AAA Norfolk.

"It's exciting," McCrory said. "It's definitely why you are playing the game. When I went down, my goal for the season was to end up back out here. I'm excited about it."

McCrory was first called up April 29. He looked nervous while he blew a two-run lead in his major league debut. He then walked the only three hitters he faced in his second appearance.

The right-hander was sent down May 11 and struggled, spending more than a month out of action with shoulder tendinitis and a shoulder impingement.

"It was probably the hardest for me to go through," McCrory said. "You got the taste of being up here and you want to go down and do well and hopefully get back up here. Then, you get injured. It was rough."

McCrory finished 2-3 with five saves and a 3.80 ERA in 35 games for Norfolk, good enough to earn another chance.

"I just feel like I'll be more accustomed to the way things go on around here," McCrory said.

McCrory can commiserate with another teammate, Jim Miller, who endured a rough big league debut Monday night.

Miller walked in a run and made a fielding error in two-thirds of an inning.

"I felt a little bit more amped-up than usual, but I didn't think it was anything I couldn't control," Miller said.

UP NEXT: Wednesday vs. Red Sox 1:35 p.m. TBA vs. Matsuzaka (16-2) MASN

Friday vs. Athletics 7:05 p.m. Waters (2-1) vs. Saarloos (1-0) MASN2