TOLEDO, Ohio -- It's the news that Tigers fans have been longing to hear: Doug Fister should be ready to go Monday in Seattle.
Tigers manager Jim Leyland, pitching coach Jeff Jones, hitting coach Lloyd McClendon and bullpen coach Mike Rojas were all on hand to watch Fister make a rehabilitation start for the Toledo Mud Hens on Wednesday night in front of 4,626 fans at Fifth Third Field.
Fister threw 68 pitches, 44 for strikes. He did not allow the Pawtucket Red Sox a run in his four innings of work, giving up just two hits while walking one and striking out five.
"I feel good," said Fister, with his shoulder and torso wrapped in ice in the Mud Hens clubhouse. "I can't really ask for anything more right now. I let it fly tonight. We're still going to take it day by day, but we're expecting the best as of right now."
Fister left his first start of the season, April 7 against the Boston Red Sox, after just 3 2/3 scoreless innings with a strained muscle in his left side.
He cut short one throwing session after that because of continuing discomfort, but said it has not been a problem of late.
"It's been a while (feeling pain)," Fister said. "I've thrown a couple of bullpens before and they were full-tilt.
"Tonight, went out there and pitched like I would normally pitch. Didn't really feel anything, so it was good."
Fister's fastball topped out at 89 mph, according to the Mud Hens' scoreboard. He said that doesn't concern him in the least.
"I never question what my velocity is," Fister said. "I never know what it is. We really don't keep track of that one.
"For me anyway, it's just kind of a mind game that I don't play. I go out there and rely on location of the baseball and the movement of it, and whatever the velocity is, that's what it is."
Fister said his main concern going into the game was his ability to keep the ball down while throwing all of his pitches, the sinker, the changeup and the cutter along with the fastball.
He wanted to make sure that he did everything the same as he would for a start with the Tigers, from his preparation to his arrival time at the ballpark to the pitches he made.
"Tonight it was just a matter of coming in here, trying to do things as normal as possible and trying to not favor it at all," Fister said. "At the beginning, I wasn't trying to go 110 percent.
"It was a matter of gradually progress into this and take it step by step. I felt good with it."
Fister was also able to field his position with his usual athleticism, getting Pedro Ciriaco (older brother of the Mud Hens' Audy) in the first inning and Ryan Lavarnway in the fourth.
"It's always a question, but it was good to get out and bounce off the mound a little bit and make a couple throws to first base," Fister said.
Now Fister feels good about getting his season back under way.
"I can't wait," he said. "I'm eager to find out when we're going to get going and what we're going to do. It's just an exciting time for me."
Fister should be pitching Monday in Seattle against the team that traded him to the Tigers last season.
"That was the stomping grounds I had for a while and I had a great time there," Fister said. "Met a lot of terrific fans, a lot of relationships I built with training staff and players and teammates. It's something that I really treasure and never am going to let go.
"Now I'm a Tiger and pitching for this uniform, for this team. Obviously, going back is going to be a little bit of fun and a little extra competition."
It'll be a lot more fun for Leyand now to be able to pencil in a healthy Fister every five days.
Fister said he doesn't feel any pressure, even though the Tigers fell to 12-12 after a 3-2 loss to the Kansas City Royals Wednesday afternoon at Comerica Park.
"There's always ups and downs," Fister said. "That's the game that we play. That's why there's 162 of them."
