Meche went 4–6 with a 6.51 ERA in for the Texas League's San Antonio Missions, but did not pitch at the major league level again until April 5, . Despite giving up four first inning runs, and taking the loss against the Texas Rangers, Meche came back to pitch four solid innings in which he allowed just two earned runs on solo shots by Iván Rodríguez and Juan González. From there, Meche went 15–13 with a 4.59 ERA in what was at the time far and away a career-high 186.1 innings pitched to earn the "Sporting News"' American League Comeback Player of the Year award.