They say you’ll see something new every day you watch baseball, which isn’t entirely true. But on Wednesday, something happened that no one alive could possibly remember. Reds relief pitcher Michael Lorenzen earned the pitching victory, hit a home run and played outfield in the same game.
That hadn’t been done since Babe Ruth in 1921. Lorenzen’s feat helped the Reds to an 8-5 win and dealt the Phillies a damaging loss for their NL wild-card hopes.
Michael Lorenzen is the first player to earn the win, hit a home run and play in the field in the same game since Babe Ruth on June 13, 1921! (via @StatsBySTATS) #BornToBaseball pic.twitter.com/2YDcKsngNH
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) September 5, 2019
The trifecta
Lorenzen gave up a game-tying home run to Jay Bruce in the seventh inning, but he stayed in the game as the Reds took the lead in the bottom of the inning.
He pitched a scoreless eighth, then blasted his seventh career home run off of Blake Parker in the bottom of the eighth.
For the ninth, as Reds closer Raisel Iglesias came in to pitch, Lorenzen moved to center field.
“I told him I underestimated his ability,” Reds manager David Bell said, according to the Associated Press. “I’ve never seen anything like it. To have the athletic ability to do something like that is something I have to get used to.”
Not since the Babe
Lorenzen didn’t get a chance in center field in the ninth, but he still played out there, which is more than any homer-hitting pitcher could say since Ruth.
In this age of specialization, it’s hard to imagine something like that happening, but pitchers are playing in the field a little more. For instance, Cubs manager Joe Maddon has done it as a way to keep a left-hander in the game. And Lorenzen showed that a good enough athlete can get it done.
“That’s pretty exciting,” Lorenzen said. “I’m going to have to look into what Babe Ruth would be making today and sit down with (the front office). It’s one of those funny little baseball stats. I’m definitely honored to be part of that. It’s cool to be part of a Babe Ruth stat.”
