Red Sox fans saw an interesting sight Friday night when Jackie Bradley Jr. stepped on the mound to pitch against the New York Yankees.
Boston wasn’t in a great spot when Bradley came on in the top of the ninth inning, as the veteran made his Major League pitching debut while the Red Sox were down 11-5. The right fielder was brought out to pitch to preserve relievers for Saturday. Boston lost the game, 12-5, but the experience was a memorable one for Bradley.
“Well, that was unique! Hopefully next time I get to warm up a little more,” Bradley tweeted Friday. “More still in tank, but I was told to be safe. Soooo I actually listened for once in my life.”
It was Red Sox manager Alex Cora who told Bradley to be safe in his approach. The 32-year-old has experience as a pitcher in high school, and against the Yankees on Friday, he earned a strikeout on two-time batting champion DJ LeMahieu.
Boston will hope it doesn’t have to rely on Bradley on the mound in the future, but perhaps he could get another chance in a low-stakes situation.
