Tony DeMarco

It really didn't matter much how Doug Davis pitched Thursday in Cincinnati. He already won the admiration, respect and well wishes of his Arizona Diamondbacks teammates with his decision to put off thyroid cancer surgery to take the mound.

Davis faced a dangerous lineup of Reds hitters at Great American Ballpark, and the final numbers weren't pretty. He never found a rhythm or command of his pitches on a cold, rain-soaked afternoon, and allowed three runs (two earned) and four hits before he exited after only 3.2 innings.

Davis also walked six and threw one more ball than strike among his 87 pitches, and as it turned out, his historic outing was overshadowed by the sensational debut of Reds' rookie starter Johnny Cueto. But that's nothing when you're facing a potentially life-threatening situation with courage and selfless dignity.

A lump was found in Davis' throat during a routine pre-training camp physical. Its hard, blood-filled mass portended the worst, a biopsy confirmed it last week, and the 32-year-old left-hander is dealing with what both his mother and sister went through and beat. And he's pitching through it, too.

“When I first heard about it, I'm not going to say I wasn't crying,'' Davis said. “Of course I was. I was down. Just down, bottom line. But I know I'm not going through this alone. I have my fiancee helping me out; my family. Twenty five guys on the team behind me are giving me their blessings. So I have all the help in the world. I'm definitely optimistic of the outcome.''

Doctors have told Davis that if you have to get cancer, thyroid cancer isn't a bad one to get. Chances of a full recovery are close to 100 percent, with a time frame of four-to-six weeks. The situation also is such that staying in the rotation for a few turns poses no additional health threat.

But it's still papillary carcinoma. And it's still surgery, one that will remove Davis' thyroid entirely, and leave him on hormone replacement medication.

When he told his mother and sister the news, Davis said: “I couldn't pick much out from what they said because they were hysterically crying, making a bigger deal than it probably really is. But that's what moms and sisters do. They're worried about me. But I'm strong and hard-headed. And I'll take this thing head-on and get rid of it, put it behind me.''

Davis told his manager and teammates, and insisted upon making a final exhibition start last Friday in Arizona, plus two in the regular season before undergoing surgery scheduled for April 10th.

“As I'm trying to grasp this news, he's trying to talk me into his next start,'' Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin said. “Pretty courageous. But knowing Doug, no, it doesn't surprise me. He got past it, and was thinking about what he could do for his team.''

The fact is, you may not know much about Davis. He is a soft-tossing left-hander with a career record of 75-76 after Thursday's loss, and pitched for three teams in 2003 and four in his 10 big-league seasons. But you will know him for something more than just numbers now.

“The main thing is I think the focus here should be on the Diamondbacks and the season,'' Davis said. “This could happen to anybody. Just because it happened to a baseball player, it's a big media thing. They'll have somebody take my place while I'm down for awhile.

“It's something I know I can fight through. I'm young enough and strong enough to make a full recovery. It has been done in a month to a month-and-a-half, and I hope I'll be starting for the Diamondbacks after that.''

Davis' start last Friday also was a rough one, as he allowed three consecutive home runs to Colorado Rockies hitters in the second inning. But he said his mind wasn't focused on what you think – in fact, just the opposite.

“Actually, (pitching) takes my mind off the fact that I have thyroid cancer,'' Davis said. “Baseball is kind of a way to not think about the thyroid cancer. It's somewhere to get away, not stress about something that is going to take me down for awhile, but not out for good.

“I really didn't think about it at all. Believe it or not, I thought I was executing pitches, and it just felt like everything got hit out of the park. It was just one of those days, I guess. I still focused on one pitch at a time, and (the cancer) wasn't on my mind.''

Melvin could only agree.

“You think it would be difficult, but he seems to be able to do it,'' Melvin said. “That was his focus. Trying to do his job.''

Crazy?

“I don't think it's any crazier than standing 60 feet, six inches from a guy with a bat,'' Davis said. “It's courageous, but so is throwing a ball up there with a guy trying to whack it back at you.

“I don't really consider this a baseball-related injury. A bump in the road of life, yes. I don't think it will affect my career after I'm ready to come back. I'm a pretty mentally strong person. When I get this behind me, I'll never look back.''