In his first at-bat, he rapped the first pitch from Charlotte reliever Paulino Reynoso to center field for a single in the ninth inning of the Bulls' 2-1 victory.
He started in right field in the nightcap , going 1-for-4 with a two-out, run-scoring single to center field in the bottom of the third inning to tie the game 1-1, with an RBI in a 4-2 Durham win.
Delmon bounced with the enthusiasm of a kid let out of time out.
"Just competing felt good. If they'd let me pitch two innings, I'd have done it," Young said after the game. "It's fun to compete at the highest level you can. It's fun to compete again.”
Major League Math
Before the suspension, Young was among the Bulls' leaders in batting average (.329 through 21 games), hits, runs scored and stolen bases. He was also on the Devil Rays' radar screen for a possible mid-season call up to the D-Rays.
He admitted that the layoff changed that somewhat, but also helped his outlook on the game.
"After I sat one game, I appreciated the game a whole lot more," Young said. “[It] gave me the opportunity to realize what I really want to do in life. I just want to play baseball. I want to be a positive role model, and come out here and have fun."
The Real Rainbow
The best thing, according to Young, was that he didn't have to deal with questions about "the incident," as he referred to it Monday. What he may have walked away with is something that the D-Rays spend too little time grooming their young players for: Understanding the value of a baseball player’s community service.
"It was an opportunity to help out others," Young said. "They got a lot more out of it than I ever thought they would, so that's the least I can take out of it. I got to meet these kids, and taught them that there's more to things than the sports they see on TV ... You've got to do what you need to do to be successful in life.
Mr. Y and the Men In Black
That was not the first time Young has had a run-in with an umpire. In 2005, while playing for the Montgomery Biscuits, Tampa Bay's Double A team, he was suspended three games by Southern League officials after bumping an ump.
Young’s temper with officiating wasn’t helped by the two-and-a-half month long strike by the Association of Minor League Umpires (AMLU), (See “Over Friggin Nickels”) that put a large variety of questionable officials on the field. The call leading to the explosion in Young’s temper appears to have been a good one.
Will the aftermath of his 50-game rip leave Young a marked man in the eyes of both umpires and baseball fans?
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