It was a rough night in Cleveland on Monday.
In the opening game of a four-game set with the Minnesota Twins, the Cleveland Guardians were absolutely dismantled by their division rivals, falling by a final of 11-1 and dropping to three games behind them in the American League Central standings.
Because the score was so lopsided, the Guardians were forced to do something they hadn’t done all season: call on a position player to pitch.
Third baseman Ernie Clement was the one who got the honor of pitching last night, as he took the mound for the ninth inning and allowed two runs.
Bally Sports Cleveland tweeted a video of Clement pitching.
Ernie can do it all.
Clement now in to pitch for the Guardians as he becomes the first position player to pitch for the @CleGuardians this season. pic.twitter.com/IxcuCwVr5n
— Bally Sports Cleveland (@BallySportsCLE) June 28, 2022
Now Pitching…Ernie Clement
It had to happen sometime, didn’t it?
You never want to have to use a position player to pitch, but sometimes, you get a little desperate and need to save the bullpen.
Even the St. Louis Cardinals had to use Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina to pitch in emergency situations.
It had to happen at some point for the Guardians.
Yet it is still frustrating when a team is forced to use a position player on the mound though.
It’s never something you want to have to do.
But with the game so far out of reach and the pitching staff battered, the Guardians had no other choice.
It’s hard to go a full season without having to use a position player on the mound at some point.
The Guardians were finally forced to do that on Monday.
We’ll see how many other teams are forced to use a position player on the mound as the season progresses.
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