The Chicago Cubs turned to first baseman Frank Schwindel to pitch on Sunday in a blowout, and his stuff was pretty ugly even by position player standards.
Schwindel was called upon to pitch the eighth inning in what was a 17-4 New York Yankees lead. That is already an unenviable task, but Schwindel’s stuff did not help. The first batter he faced was Yankees catcher Kyle Higashioka, who was not impressed by what looked roughly like an eephus pitch.
Higgy baby one more time. pic.twitter.com/DebAKuWGNI
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) June 12, 2022
For reference, this pitch came in at 35.1 mph, and it’s basically arcing down for Higashioka to take a shot at it. This wouldn’t be out of place in a slow-pitch softball game.
Remarkably, Schwindel got out of the inning allowing only one more hit and no further damage on the scoreboard. He won’t want to make a habit of pitching in blowouts, but maybe he could take a few tips from Yadier Molina if it happens again.
