It's a typical scenario for the Giants this year: last inning, they're trailing by a lot, and every pitcher's getting hammered on the mound. On April 28th of this year, it was against the Dodgers, who'd gotten 15 points out of them before, and were looking ferocious even going into the ninth.
The Giants, after a botched attempt by Cory Gearrin to stop the blood flow, called a puzzler from the bullpen: Pablo Sandoval, the city's hero of the decade, and steady third base backup, came in...to pitch the ninth?
I talked about Erik Kratz being an unlikely choice to pitch, but Kung Fu Panda might be even more unlikely, as he's a noted power hitter, and a noted...round player. They don't call him Kung Fu Panda for nothing. So seeing him on the mound must have been eerie to some people. I mean, he's never pitched before, so we'd be leaving this to the Season of Pitching Hitters.
Sandoval did pretty well, though: he allowed no hits, retired every batter he faced, and threw eight strikes on eleven pitches. Granted, he left most of the work to the defense, but Pablo Sandoval had a better day on the mound than most of the Giants' pitchers that day...which is an odd thing to say.
Seeing Sandoval pitch is one of the many reasons this season has just been great for hitters on the mound.
Next up with these posts? A journeyman home run hitter who did his best on the mound for a struggling third place team.
Whenever I think of position players pitching, the first person who pops into my head is Ichiro. I know guys risk injuries, but I'm a big fan of this novelty.
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