Toronto Blue Jays utility man Cliff Pennington made history in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series on Tuesday night when he took the mound as the first position player ever to pitch in an MLB postseason game.
Unfortunately for Toronto, that meant things weren't going well.
With his team trailing the Kansas City Royals 12-2 with two outs in the top of the ninth, Blue Jays manager John Gibbons brought Pennington into the game—from the bullpen, not the bench.
It marked the first time in postseason history that a position player pitched in a game, as CBS Sports noted:
Pennington took over with runners on first and second, needing just one out to get out of the inning. The first two batters the right-hander faced singled to right field, with the second, Alcides Escobar, knocking in two runs. Pennington was able, however, to retire Ben Zobrist on a foul popup to keep his postseason earned run average at 0.00.
Toronto used six pitchers in Game 4, and Pennington was just one of two Blue Jays who did not allow a run. That should get him some bragging rights in the clubhouse.
Pennington's relief appearance led to this fun stat in which Jon Tayler of Sports Illustrated compared him to both of the game's starting pitchers:
Pennington's solid outing also had the Arizona Diamondbacks—who traded the utility man back in August—feeling a bit regretful:
When Pennington woke up this morning, he probably wasn't expecting to play. He may have thought he'd have a chance to enter the game—but as a position player, not a pitcher.
The Royals took a 3-1 series lead and moved to within one win of the World Series with a 14-2 victory in Game 4.
[MLB.com, Twitter]
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