At long last, Keller makes MLB debut -- against team that drafted him in 2016

PHILADELPHIA -- Unlike many aspiring big leaguers who take their career overseas, Brian Keller wasn't exactly struggling in the Minors.

A 39th-round pick by the Yankees in the 2016 Draft, Keller had a 3.18 ERA over six Minor League seasons when he elected to go play in Japan for the 2023 season. He was coming off a two-year stretch in which he posted a 2.77 ERA in 2021 with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and a 3.27 ERA in '22 with Triple-A Worcester.

Unable to break through to the Majors, though, Keller decided he needed to try something different. That's when he signed a deal with the Hanshin Tigers of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball league.

Keller's excitement for his new chapter was short-lived. He started feeling pain in his right elbow after just three appearances and soon underwent Tommy John surgery. After rehabbing for a year, he found out he needed a second procedure -- a nerve transposition surgery.

The two surgeries ultimately sidelined him for the entire 2024 and '25 seasons.

It wasn't until two months ago that his next opportunity finally arrived. In their ongoing search for organizational pitching depth, the Phillies signed Keller to a Minor League deal on May 18 and sent him to the Florida Complex League to ramp up.

After three scoreless innings with the club's Rookie-level affiliate, Keller was sent to Triple-A Lehigh Valley, where he posted a 2.23 ERA in eight starts.

All of that -- the seven seasons in the Minors, the move to Japan, the lengthy rehab process -- led to Saturday night. At 32 years old, Keller realized a lifelong dream when he made his Major League debut in the Phillies' 3-1 loss against the Yankees at Citizens Bank Park.

“It was amazing,” Keller said. “A dream come true.”

Following two scoreless innings from opener Tim Mayza, Keller turned in three solid frames to keep the Phillies in the game. He struck out three and did not walk a batter, while allowing just one run -- a solo homer to No. 9 hitter Austin Wells.

Keller, who had pitched six innings in each of his past two outings at Triple-A, departed after throwing just 39 pitches (29 strikes) and the game tied at 1 to start the sixth inning. The Yankees promptly took the lead off a pair of relievers -- lefty Kyle Backhus and righty Seth Johnson -- and never looked back.

Despite pitching so well at Lehigh Valley over the past two months, there was no guarantee this night would ever come for Keller. After all, he'd been down this road before -- more than once.

Did Keller ever reach a point where he thought this day might never come?

“Oh, definitely,” Keller said. “During rehab, it was like setback after setback to the point where I just didn't know if it was ever going to happen -- pitching again professionally, much less playing in the big leagues.”

But with the Phillies desperately searching for an answer to the No. 5 spot in their rotation, Keller finally got the call after a decade of persevering. He was notified on Thursday by Triple-A manager Chris “Tank” Adamson that he’d be needed in Philadelphia on Saturday, and though Keller had a car waiting for him to take him to the airport, he made a quick call first.

“I hopped on FaceTime with my wife right away,” Keller said, “and just said, ‘We did it.’”

Keller’s wife, Jennifer, was in attendance on Saturday night, along with approximately 20 other family members and friends.

It remains to be seen whether Keller will get another shot next time through the rotation. Though it's not the Phillies' only need -- the offense showed once again that it could use a boost -- they're certainly looking for another starter ahead of the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline.

The Phillies still have not won a game from this spot in the rotation since May 18 -- coincidentally, the same day they signed Keller to that Minor League deal.

“I can say, for sure, that I would love to,” Keller said when asked about the potential opportunity to fill that role. “I don't get to make those decisions, but I definitely feel comfortable doing that.”

The initial plan, of course, was to use Andrew Painter in this spot. He was optioned to Lehigh Valley in June after posting a 7.06 ERA through 14 big league outings. Next up was Alan Rangel, who went 0-3 with a 5.40 ERA in six appearances. They also released Taijuan Walker (9.13 ERA) in April.

Maybe Keller is next, maybe he’s not.

Either way, he’s now forever a Major Leaguer.

“Nobody can take that from you, right?” Keller said, choking back tears. “Proud of that.”