Josiah Gray's Triumphant Return

0:00On March 8th, here's the latest surrounding the Washington Nationals. Nationals pitcher Josiah Gray is easing back into action after nearly two years sidelined by Tommy John's surgery. In a recent spring training game against the Yankees at Cacti Park of the Palm Beaches, the 28-year-old delivered three scoreless innings in. His team's three-nothing win. He struck out two, allowed just one hit and one walk, and even sparked excitement with a key pick-off play. The moment came early when Gray walked Yankees prospect George Lombard Jr., a speedy runner with 35 stolen bases in the miners last year. Lombard took a big lead, but Gray fired to first baseman Lewis Garcia Jr., who started a rundown with shortstop CJ Abrams that caught the runner, leaning. It's the kind of baseball instinct Gray has missed most during his recovery. Gray called those small plays the real joy of the game, things like picking off runners or backing up bases that keep you sharp beyond just throwing. Strikes. Nationals manager

1:00Blake Boutera praised Gray's focus and diligence, noting how the team stresses shutting down the running game all through camp. Between outings, Gray sharpened his efficiency, using only 32 pitches for those three frames compared to 39 for one and two-thirds. Innings in his debut. He wrapped up strong by catching Jackson Dominguez swinging on a 79.7 mile per hour curveball. The plan now is to build Gray up to five innings by the end of spring training, with his health as the absolute top priority. Boutera and the staff are thrilled to have him competing again as the nationals gear up for the season. The Daily News Now is powered by our sponsor, Lincoln the Description, a pillow that sounds as good as it feels, built for listening in bed, S-O-L-L-I, solely pillow.com.