There's an old saying in baseball circles that something could be seen in a game that's never been seen before. That was the case Tuesday.
With Kansas City leading Toronto 12-2 in the top of the ninth inning of Game 4 of the American League Championship Series, the Blue Jays decided to try something different. When they went to the bullpen, they didn't call a regular relief pitcher -- they went with veteran utilityman Cliff Pennington.
Despite eight years in the major leagues with three teams and playing four positions along the way, Pennington had never been called to the mound. Additionally, a position player had never taken the mound during a playoff game despite over 100 years of postseason play.
So, in a way, Pennington's first offering -- a 91-mph fastball for a called strike -- was groundbreaking. According to pitch-tracking system PitchFX, Pennington used a four-seam and two-seam fastball along with a changeup and curveball. While some players may have been nervous and caught up in the moment, Canadian broadcaster Arden Zwelling of SportsNet tweeted that was not the case with Pennington.
"When Pennington came in to pitch, [Toronto catcher Russell] Martin asked what he had: 'He goes fastball, curveball, cutter, change-up.' I was like, what?" Zwelling tweeted.
Although Pennington allowed two runs and gave up two singles, he did eventually settle down, getting Kansas City's Ben Zobrist to pop out on a 90-mph fastball to end the inning.
Beers on Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs will play a game in London for the first time ever when they face the Detroit Lions at Wembley Stadium on Nov. 1. To make sure at least a few hometown fans show up, the team has offered the ultimate perk to season-ticket holders who make the trip: free beer.
Chiefs President Mark Donovan said he wanted to make sure the team rewarded any fans who made the trip. They've rented out a pub in London where they'll serve the free beer from 3-6 p.m. local time on Oct. 30.
"What we came up with was, let's figure out a way to buy them a beer," Donovan told ESPN.com. "It's literally meant to be, 'Come to London, come to the pub, we're buying the beers.'
"Of all the people I've talked to, and I've talked to CEO levels who are going with clients, to season-ticket holders at training camp, and they've wanted to know the plans for people who are going to be there. And I've told them, 'I'm buying you a beer, so come see me.'"
The Chiefs are expecting about 800 fans to take them up on the deal, according to ESPN.com.
"Getting a free beer isn't a good reason to justify spending $1,200 on a plane ticket to London, but for fans who were already planning on being there, it's a pretty cool perk," John Breech of CBSSports.com wrote.
Sports quiz
Cliff Pennington has played for which MLB teams?
Answer
The Oakland A's (2008-2012), Arizona Diamondbacks (2013-2015) and Toronto Blue Jays (2015).
Sports on 10/23/2015