St Louis Cardinal pitcher Yadier Molina is not too thrilled after giving up a two run ninth inning home run at PNC Park on Sun May 22, 2022 to the Pittsburgh Pirates Jack Suwinski. Molina is one of two position players to have pitched this season for the Cardinals (AP News photo)

Baseball: Do you enjoy Position players Pitching?

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

Today it has become more common to see a position player pitching at the end of a game with a lopsided score. Because it is now more common and it has lost a lot of the “fun” that it used to be. And the more it happens in the future, the more it would mean “not much”.

Unless those are Hall of Fame players, such guys as Albert Pujols and his good friend Yadier Molina, both in St Louis, they are first vote Hall of Famers in the future and those are guys that have done everything in baseball, except pitch, until recently.

During the Phillies 2018 Spring Training, manager Gabe Kapler experimented with his utility players throw occasional bullpen sessions. The purpose of this was to use them in game situations. It was not meant to be as a “joke” or fun if your team was winning or losing by 15 runs in the ninth inning. Kapler’s experiment was just that, an experiment.

Gabe Kapler, (now managing the Giants) used outfielder Luis González to pitch against the San Diego Padres on Sunday at Oracle Park, when the game was 10-1 in favor of the Padres, who swept the Giants. González did a great job as he pitched for 2 innings gave up 1 hit and no runs, his ERA 0.00

The first 40-40 man in history, José Canseco came to pitch for the Texas Rangers against the Boston Red Sox on May 29, 1993. He pitched one inning (the 8th) gave up 2 hits 3 earned runs, walked three and his earned run average ended at 27.00.

Canseco injured his arm and underwent Tommy John surgery to end his season. José had said in the past his dream was to pitch during a major league game. Was that fun José? By-the way, just three days prior to his pitching debut and retirement, on May 26, his head produced a home run, as he was playing right field when a batted ball hit his head and went over the fence.

That also was not a lot of fun for José, but he took it in stride after all there is no Tommy John surgery for your head. José Canseco played for another 10 years and retired after the 2001 season. He played for 17 years in the major leagues as an Outfielder-Designated Hitter and…Pitcher.

In conclusion. Using a position player to pitch, in any situation is like ordering Babe Ruth to lay a bunt. However, Ruth had a sacrifice bunt every year between 1915 and 1930. From 1922 to 1930 The Bambino hit 403 homeruns and also laid down 33 sacrifice bunts.

However, Ruth also won 65 games as a pitcher. In my book, I like to see a super star like Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina to pitch in a game that is already decided, but I will not enjoy an average player taking the ball, unless his team has totally ran out of pitchers.

But that is only my opinion, I am sure many would disagree. One thing we could all agree is that today, their is only one Shohei “Showtime”) Ohtani, he can really hit and really pitch, with the best of them.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the Spanish radio voice for the Oakland A’s on flagship station Le Grande 1010 KIQI San Francisco and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com