In his first Major League game since May 17, 2023, Dustin May strikes out the side to start the game! pic.twitter.com/wIR4sIQI8p

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) April 2, 2025

Just eight months ago, the $2.13 million LA star wasn’t even thinking about baseball. In a freak accident that sounds almost something out of a horror movie, May nearly lost his life. It happened during a dinner with his wife when a piece of lettuce got stuck in his throat. He tried to gulp water to wash it down, but it only made things worse. It perforated his esophagus and led to a life-threatening tear. Reflecting on this difficult phase after his game, May shared how close he came to losing everything.

“Even if it had gone wrong, I still would have had a great time being back on a big league mound. It literally meant the world to me just to be back on the mound because eight months ago I didn’t know if I would be,” shared May. An emergency surgery ultimately saved his life. And as he was on the road to recovery, the Dodger star admitted that baseball was the last thing on his mind. All he cared about was “just trying to get healthy, get home, and be able to see the next morning.”

For a guy nicknamed Big Red, known for wearing his emotions as boldly as his red hair, facing death changed everything. When he stepped into the game, he looked to the sky and tilted his head to thank God. Later, he also addressed it, saying, “There’s been a lot of praying and a lot of devotion to him in the last two years of my life, and I attribute all of my success to him.” Fellow Dodgers Mookie Betts echoed this statement, claiming that it’s one of those stories that feels made-up, but for May, it’s the truth: “God was just working his magic.”

May has embraced his second chance like a gift. He wasted no time getting back to work. May’s first pitch—a 96 mph sinker—was a strike to the Braves hitter Michael Harris II. Then, May struck out to the side, and he walked out of the mound, high-fiving his teammates as the crowd roared in appreciation.

For May, gratitude extends beyond God—it also includes his wife.

Dodgers’ star Dustin May’s wife save his life? 

In an emotional interview with SportsNet LA, the Dodgers star almost fought back tears as he reflected on that harrowing night. And if it wasn’t for his wife, he might not be alive right now. With a heavy voice, he said, “It was definitely life and death. If I hadn’t gone to the hospital that night, I would not be here today. And I definitely have to thank my wife for that—for saving my life. Because I definitely would not have gone if I had been by myself.” But Amelia Millie Trautner had a gut feeling that something was wrong—call it a wife’s sixth sense.

She didn’t waste time and rushed him to the hospital, even though the Dodgers’ flamethrower tried to brush off the pain. That decision saved his life. What she heard next nearly stopped her heart: “The doctor told us, ‘Oh, you probably had about four more hours. And I was like, ‘Four more hours until what?’ And the doctor said, ‘Until things were really, really bad’.” The reality hit her like a train!

One moment, they were enjoying a nice salad; the next, she was staring down at the terrifying possibility of life without him. She admitted, “I could be sitting here as a 27-year-old widow right now.” For someone so young, it’s a chilling thought. But luckily for her, her husband is a fighter, and he fought back hard. While this was a deeply personal and painful experience for both of them, Amelia revealed how difficult it was to see the public turn their nightmare into a joke. “It was really hard to see people making jokes when this was my real life,” she said. At that moment, she was trying her best to hold it together as she waited for her husband to wake up. But nevertheless, May recovered with Amelia by his side every step of the way, and he couldn’t be more thankful.

Now he’s back on the mound, and the fans couldn’t be any more thrilled. Are you excited to see the flamethrower in action again? Let us know your thoughts!