Outfielder Jeff Francoeur pitches 1-2-3 inning
By Len Nunes
Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Jeff Francoeur was thrust into the role of relief pitcher and excelled for one inning.
When you see teams from Philadelphia and Baltimore playing with the score sitting at 17-3, the Philadelphia Phillies and Baltimore Orioles probably are not the first professional teams that pop into mind. And yet on Tuesday night, such was the case.
One of the fun aspects of the game of baseball in blowouts is that the team getting routed tends to let a position player take a turn on the mound. On Tuesday night heading into the bottom of the 7th inning, the Phillies handed the ball to veteran outfielder Jeff Francoeur.
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Check out what Francoeur did to the first batter he faced.
What an absolutely devilish pitch to catch the Orioles Nolan Reimold looking, setting up a three-pitch strikeout.
Francoeur would then induce a full count ground out from Chris Parmelee (who had homered in his last two at-bats). To finish the perfect inning, Francoeur would retire Steve Pearce.
The 8th inning didn’t go quite as well for Francoeur. A leadoff homer, a hit batter and three walks took some of the shine off that fantastic pitch in the above vine. Then again, what would you expect from a position player pitching his second inning in relief?
One year ago, Francoeur was playing for Pacific Coast League’s El Paso Chihuahuas where made several appearances in games a pitcher. The hard work in the minors appears to have served him well.
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