In baseball, there’s a saying about moving on after making a mistake. But what happens when that means going from the infield to the pitcher’s mound?
“Well, not walking a guy and giving up a homer,” joked Tigers’ utilityman Zach McKinstry, recalling his unexpected switch during Game 1 of a doubleheader at Comerica Park.
It wasn’t a form of penance for McKinstry but a series of strange events that led him from a costly error at third base to becoming a pitcher against the Twins in a marathon 12-inning game.
McKinstry had played the entire game, starting at shortstop and then moving to third base when Javier Báez took over at short in the 11th inning. By that point, the Tigers were on their fourth pitcher, hoping to secure a win.
As both teams scored a run in the 11th, the game stretched on to the 12th, with former closer Alex Lange now on the mound for Detroit.
Lange battled through a tough inning, walking in a run but coming within a strike of ending the inning with the Tigers down by one run. However, on the 12th pitch of the at-bat, a curveball from Lange resulted in a ground ball to third.
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McKinstry shifted to make the play, but the ball took an unexpected hop under his glove, rolling to the left-field corner as the Twins cleared the bases and extended their lead to 8-4.
“Played myself into a bad hop,” McKinstry admitted. “Got a little too aggressive on it, maybe should’ve retreated a little bit. It just took a weird hop on me.”
With a four-run deficit in extra innings, Lange nearing his pitch limit, and another full game ahead, Tigers’ manager A.J. Hinch considered bringing in a position player to pitch. Despite the score normally being too close for this move, extra innings allow for it.
However, Hinch’s plans were complicated by a misinterpretation of the rules regarding mound visits. After mistakenly thinking he had another visit, Hinch had to immediately remove Lange from the game.
The surprise pitcher turned out to be McKinstry, who had some pitching experience with the Tigers the previous year. He knew he was a potential option, but the timing caught him off guard.
“I had no idea,” McKinstry chuckled. “A.J. came out and he was like, ‘Hey, Z-Mac, you’re going to pitch.’ I’m like, ‘Sure, whatever you need.’”
McKinstry took to the mound, showcasing his repertoire of pitches ranging from 50 to 68 mph. He walked the first batter before giving up a two-run homer, but he managed to retire the dangerous Byron Buxton for the final out.
“Just a long game,” McKinstry summed up with a smile, reflecting on the whirlwind of events that led him from fielding errors to an unexpected pitching appearance.
