Minnesota Twins

StaTuesday: Twins' Gimenez making history ... on the mound

Published Jun. 20, 2017 1:09 p.m. ET

share

facebookxredditlink

Dave Heller

Chris Gimenez is making history, albeit some he likely never expected or wished.

The Minnesota Twins' backup catcher has also become the team's emergency reliever this season. Unlike most position players who get a chance to take the mound, Gimenez hasn’t been used just once. Or even twice. But, with the All-Star break a few weeks away, he's pitched five times.



Since World War II, no position player has appeared in more games in relief in a season than Gimenez. This doesn't include Willie Smith, who in 1963-64 was used regularly as pitcher and outfielder for the Tigers and Angles, or players like Rick Ankiel, who began as a pitcher, or Johnny Lindell, an outfielder who moved to the mound later in his career.

The last position player to pitch in at least five games during a season was infielder Eddie Lake, who had six relief appearances in 1944 -- although he finished just one game and was used at least in two innings in each. In 1943, first baseman Kerby Farrell pitched in five games, including one in which he went 7 2/3 innings and another six-inning outing. Bill Harman caught and pitched in five games apiece in 1941, but actually logged more innings on the mound (13) than behind the dish (10).

Taking out the war years, when there was a dearth of available talent, and players who pitched and then were converted to a position or vice versa, the last player before Gimenez to pitch in at least five games during a season was Hall of Famer Sam Rice of the Washington Senators -- a precursor to the Twins -- in 1916. Rice started one game and went six innings or more in two others.

With his last outing, Gimenez now has eight career relief appearances, breaking a tie with Vance Law and Granny Hamner for most by a position player since World War II.

Gimenez has the most relief appearances in Twins history -- not counting Rice. Outfielder John Moses held the record with three from 1989-90. Gimenez and Moses are two of 10 Minnesota position players to pitch.

Here's the outings for all 10 players -- totaling 17 appearances -- with notes on the outings below the chart:

Julio Becquer: The first Twins position player to pitch entered in the seventh inning, replacing Gary Dotter with two outs in and 8-1 game and runners on first and third. Becquer allowed RBI singles to Bobby Del Greco and Charlie Shoemaker; a two-run double to Dick Howser and RBI double to Norm Siebern. In the eighth, with a new catcher (Ron Henry replacing Earl Battey), he allowed just a walk. Becquer also pitched once for the Washington Senators.

Cesar Tovar: In the final home game of the year, Tovar started and eventually played all nine positions, becoming just the second player to do so in a game, Bert Campaneris the other, happened to be the leadoff hitter for Oakland and fouled out. Tovar would strike out Reggie Jackson and, after walking Danny Cater and balking, got Sal Bando to pop out, too. Tom Hall pitched from the second into the eighth inning and Al Worthington closed the door in the ninth, making this the only game in which the Twins won when using a position player.

Dan Gladden: 1988 -- Entered in the eighth inning of a 16-7 game. He had been in left field and, batting leadoff. Gladden got Johnny Ray and Chico Walker both to ground to second base and Brian Downing to fly to short center. 1989 -- This time Gladden was not already in the game when he entered in the eighth of an 11-1 contest. In addition to allowing a run, he threw a wild pitch.

John Moses: 1989 - Gladden, who had pitched earlier in the year, was unavailable as Moses had ran for him (Gladden was hurt after a steal). He'd get Rick Cerone to hit into a 6-4-3 double play to end the eighth. 1990 (first) -- Gladden had been replaced and Moses was in the game, having played right field and center field. He'd allow a double to Jody Reed and throw a wild pitch. 1990 (second) -- Moses had replaced Kirby Puckett in center field in the eighth then pitched the ninth. The Angles loaded bases with one out. Donnie Hill had an infield single and then Moses walked Devon White to force in another run. In the inning, Moses allowed a double to Kent Anderson, one of his 15 career extra-base hits.

Michael Cuddyer:  The popular outfielder, who hadn't pitched since 1997 in high school, asked to take the mound with the Twins down 20-5. Perhaps beg is a better description.  "Cuddyer out there is a nightmare, but we had to put somebody out there, and he would have killed me if I put anyone else out there," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said after the game. "That was the one goal of his career was to pitch, so he pitched. I was scared to death to watch the guy do it, but he threw it, he had a big smile on his face, and we just had to get through it somehow." Cuddyer allowed a double to Mike Napoli and a single to Mitch Moreland to open the inning, but he escaped without allowing a run. "It was fun," Cuddyer unsurprisingly said. "I had a good time, and fortunately I kept the ball in the ballpark."

Drew Butera: Entering in a 16-2 game, Butera whiffed Carlos Gomez as part of a scoreless inning. He also joined Gladden and Moses as players who have thrown a wild pitch. Butera would pitch again in 2014 (twice with the Dodgers) and 2016 (twice with the Royals).

Jamey Carroll: The 39-year-old Carroll entered a 13-0 game and pitched a 1-2-3 inning against Kansas City throwing nothing but fastballs which never topped 80 mph. "I wasn't going to do anything silly," Carroll said. "I just wanted to get the inning over as fast as possible and try to save an arm." Said starting pitcher Kevin Correia: "It shows you how the game is. You can go out there and not get a guy out and then someone else comes in there and gets guys out. I don't know that I've had a game where a position player has pitched where I started so that's never a good sign." Six days later, the Royals purchased Carroll from the Twins.

Shane Robinson: A rare instance in which a player entered in a mid-inning move. Robinson had been in right field and took the mound with the bases loaded and none out. He'd walk Mike Aviles and a Carlos Santana grounder to third base scored another run, but he'd finish his work by striking out Jerry Sands -- on a called third strike, no less.

Eduardo Escobar:  He also came in mid-inning, moving from shortstop to the mound with a man on first and none out in a 15-6 game. Escobar would end his inning by getting current Twins catcher Jason Castro on a fly to left. Wonder if that's come up at all in the clubhouse.

Chris Gimenez: He is the only position player to serve up a home run, in his case by Houston's Marwin Gonzalez.

Dave Heller is the author of Ken Williams: A Slugger in Ruth's Shadow, Facing Ted Williams - Players From the Golden Age of Baseball Recall the Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived and As Good As It Got: The 1944 St. Louis Browns

share

Get more from Minnesota Twins Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

in this topic

Minnesota Twins

Major League Baseball