The St. Louis Cardinals employ a pretty serious initiation process for new bullpen pitchers.
The Cards moved right-hander Shelby Miller to the ‘pen over the weekend indefinitely to give him some extra rest as they move forward with a four-man rotation, according to a report from MLB.com. But the transition didn’t come without Miller first facing a tough test from his teammates.
Before Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the 23-year-old was welcomed into the bullpen via trust fall. Miller stood atop a concrete wall along the right field bleachers at Busch Stadium and fell back into the outstretched arms of his fellow pitchers, who thankfully caught him easily.
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Miller’s officially one with the bullpen for now, but it remains to be seen what type of team-building exercise he’ll have to endure in order for him to leave the group when St. Louis calls upon him later on down the road to resume his role as a starter. Might we suggest a round of paintball?
