Nats' Barrett throws scoreless frame in return from 4-year injury rehab

Aaron Barrett spent four years working toward this moment, and he made it count.

Making his first MLB appearance since 2015, Barrett - who lost multiple seasons to a string of arm injuries - tossed a scoreless fifth inning for the Washington Nationals against the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves on Saturday night.

Barrett worked around a leadoff walk and struck out Ronald Acuna Jr., for his first K since Aug. 1, 2015. He was visibly emotional walking off the mound and in the dugout, where he was embraced by his teammates.

"After the outing was over I'm just walking off and all the emotions just hit me," Barrett told Jamal Collier of MLB.com. "Just, 'You did it, man. You did it.'"

The 31-year-old missed all of 2016 due to Tommy John surgery. He suffered a broken humerus bone while rehabbing from that procedure, costing him the 2017 season as well.

Barrett's rehab took him all the way back to the Class A short-season New York-Penn League, where he pitched alongside recent draftees in their teens and early 20s.

He pitched 50 games at Double-A Harrisburg this year before being called up by the Nats on Tuesday in an emotional scene that went viral: