Jamie Westbrook playing with a sense of freedom after achieving his MLB dreams [Video]

WORCESTER — Jamie Westbrook always knew that he was good enough to be a major league baseball player. It was a feeling that didn’t leave him as he labored through 11 professional seasons and 1,159 minor league games.

Westbrook’s feeling was proven right earlier this month, when he made his major league debut with the Red Sox. Now, even though Westbrook is back in Triple-A for the time being, he feels that a weight has been lifted from his shoulders.

“I think the biggest takeaway was that the feeling that I had in my gut that I was a major league player was true,” Westbrook said in the Polar Park dugout on Wednesday. “To have that validation, have it be solidified, not just believing it, but it actually being fact, has made all of the journey completely worth it.”

And what a journey that past two and a half weeks …