Victor Mederos turned a blowout into a small piece of history Friday night, lining a two-run single for the Atlanta Braves against the Texas Rangers. It was the first time a pitcher had a hit in MLB this year, and it was the first career hit for Mederos.
The moment came with the game already tilting away from the Braves, who wanted to get some starters out and did not want to burn another reliever in the process. That left Mederos, a right-hander, in the batting order after Atlanta took Matt Olson out from first base and put Dominic Smith there instead, which meant the designated hitter spot was gone and the pitcher had to hit.
That kind of plate appearance is unusual enough on its own now that pitchers almost never bat in Major League Baseball. It was even stranger for Mederos, who had never had an at bat in college at Miami or Oklahoma State or in the Cape Cod League, before he stepped in against position player pitching Kyle Higashioka and came through with the single.
Atlanta could have pinch-hit for him, but doing that would have forced someone else to cover the ninth inning. Instead, the Braves let the inning play out with Mederos in the box and got a two-run swing from a pitcher who had never recorded a hit at any level before Friday night.
For the Braves, it was a reminder that blowouts can still produce something more interesting than the score line. For Mederos, it was a first career hit that will stay attached to a rare bit of baseball bookkeeping: the first pitcher to get a hit in MLB this year.
