Red Sox’s Jackie Bradley Jr. Reacts To Major League Pitching Debut

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.