Pitchers aren’t good hitters.
We all know this (well half of the league does, anyway). But they aren’t necessarily bad athletes, too. Plenty of pitchers can swing it, run the bases well, and field their position cleanly – just ask Jake Arrieta:
"I expect to beat everybody.”
Jake Arrieta bares it all for the cover of this year's #BodyIssue, dropping July 6. pic.twitter.com/rk0eeUlHCt
— ESPN (@espn) July 1, 2016
On second thought, just leave him alone.
But the problem with pitchers at the plate isn’t always about their abilities. Sometimes, it’s just about their effort – and who could blame them? A heck of a lot goes into pitching – on both the mental and physical side of the game – so who has time for hitting and/or running to first base: not Julio Teheran, that’s (not) who.
Yesterday, Teheran hit a line drive/one hopper into right field directly at Marcell Ozuna. While it sure looked like an easy single off the bat, Ozuna had a different idea:
For future reference “B” is the turbo button.
It took a perfect hop, a slightly-lagging Teheran, and a perfect 87.5 MPH throw, but Ozuna pulled it off – he threw out Teheran at first base on an otherwise obvious line drive single. I don’t know how (or even why), but that should be worth more than one out, right?