Pitchers do not usually hit in Major League Baseball anymore, but Victor Mederos turned a late-game appearance into a rare moment on Friday night against the Texas Rangers. The Atlanta Braves right-hander came to the plate in the ninth inning of a blowout and delivered a two-run single — the first pitcher hit in MLB this year and the first hit of his career.
The situation was unusual before Mederos even stepped in. Because the Braves did not want to use another reliever in the blowout and wanted to get some starters out of the game, the lineup changes removed the designated hitter. That forced the pitcher into the batting order, creating the kind of at-bat that almost never happens now.
Why this was such a rare moment
For Mederos, the hit mattered on two levels. It was not only the first time a pitcher had recorded a hit in MLB this year, it was also the first career hit for him.
That makes the moment even more notable because Mederos had never had an at-bat in college at Miami or Oklahoma State, or in the Cape Cod League. So when he stepped into the box late at home against the Texas Rangers, he was doing something he had somehow never done at any previous stage of his career.
A blowout turned into a milestone
The Braves were already in control, and the game state shaped the decision. With the designated hitter gone, Mederos was the one sent up, and he made the most of the opportunity by ripping a two-run single against a position player pitching rather than a traditional pitcher.
It was the kind of odd, dateable baseball moment that only comes around rarely now. The Braves got the chance to manage their bullpen the way they wanted in a lopsided game, and Mederos walked away with a piece of Major League Baseball history attached to his name.
For Atlanta, it was a small bonus in a comfortable win. For Mederos, it was a first career hit he will not forget — and one that came in the most unexpected way possible.
