Bloomquist, pitcher
So scrappy people keep hijacking threads. From Drayer’s blog:
“Ben has been struggling to adjust to his pinch hitter off the bench role. He’s not one to complain, in fact he is one of the most good natured guys you could ever expect to meet, but he is going a little stir crazy in his new role.
Now just because he doesn’t like his new role doesn’t mean he is not going to put everything in to it. He has been trying to find ways to stay ready. About two weeks ago, in the 6th inning of a game he asked Willie Bloomquist to throw him some batting practice from behind the screen in the hitting cages.
Willie, who can often be seen messing around with different pitches and would one day like to get up on the mound for an inning, took things a step further. He pulled the screen in so it was close to the hitter, then started pitching to Ben. He wasn’t throwing batting practice fast balls, rather he was throwing splitters, sliders and fastballs that from that short distance were right on Ben. Ben said that got his eye ready, and in the words of Bloomquist “If he can hit me, I figure he can hit anyone.â€â€
I look forward to the day where they announce Willie as the pitcher, and he walks onto the field dragging the screen, setting it up halfway between the mound and the plate.
I think I just threw up in my mouth a little.
Well, if they keep pulling the starter after 3 innings, Willie will get his shot pretty quick here. White can only pitch so many innings.
I said this earlier to day on LL, I’d actually like to see Ichiro pitch if we’re down 8-0 or something. He was supposed to be a good HS pitcher, and it’d be fun to see him do it. I don’t think Ichiro would have much fun though, since he hates losing.
Anyone know the history of Mariners position players getting up on the mound? I know it’s happened, I just can’t remember who.
I can see it now. In two months, when the team is 25 games under .500, the big draw will be Port Orchard’s own Willie Bloomquist! Going for a Major League record by playing all nine defensive positions in one game! Plus, MLB has promised if the game goes into extra innings he’ll get a chance at arbiter behind the catcher as well! Who cares that your DH is hitting .175 (90% ground balls) or that the previously promising player you dealt for said DH is close to .300 with an OPS that would be close to leading the club were he still on the M’s? Willie is the Scopeâ„¢ of the team, masking up the bad taste in your mouth with a distractingly unneccessary ingredient.
You made me laugh, joser. Well played.
Hey, I’m all for Scrapmaster Flash making himself useful, especially if it means keeping our best bench bat sharp.
Have no fear, Big Ben, you’ll get your shot at everyday play when we finally punt Turbo.
Mabry in Tampa after a Mesa implosion
G IP BFP H ER R HR BB
1 0.2 6 3 2 2 0 1
I might actually enjoy that inning.
Holy CRAP! This was for real? Fine whatever. How much worse can Boom-Boom be in place of Weaver.
At least it will make all the Bloomquist Backers happy to see WFB actually take the mound. My Bloomquist Backing friend has been saying for years that Willie can play any position.
Mabes looked like he did …
Finally a job for Bloomquist: batting practice pitcher.
hahaha, yay for Ignitor!!!!
Way to make yourself not completely useless.
lol.
In all fairness to the guy though, he’d actually be quite useful if he could just hit a little bit like Mark McLemore did when he was here. He doesn’t have to Superman, but at least bat somewhere around .260 or .270.
seems to me Gipson always hoped to get in as an emergency pitcher … I’m sure there was someone else than Mabry, but it isn’t coming to me
Mike DiFelice hit a tiebreaking homer that triggered an 11-run eighth inning – the biggest burst in Tampa Bay history – and led the Devil Rays over the Seattle Mariners 14-4 on Sunday. The Devil Rays, with a major league-worst record of 16-32, won for just the third time in 14 games. The Devil Rays got 11 runs and 10 hits off Jose Mesa (2-4) – who was ejected for throwing close to DiFelice – and utilityman John Mabry, who pitched for the first time in the majors.
Mesa declined comment after the game.
Tampa Bay surpassed the team record for runs in an inning, set during an eight-run fourth against Seattle on May 30, 1999. The Devil Rays also set a club mark for hits in an inning.
“It was amazing,” said Devil Rays reliever Jim Mecir (3-1), who worked three perfect innings. “After a while I was getting tired getting up and down congratulating everybody for scoring.”
Mesa took over to start the eighth and DiFelice homered on the second pitch for a 4-3 lead.
DiFelice batted against Mesa later in the inning and walked on four pitches. Ball four was an inside fastball, and Mesa was ejected by plate umpire Dana DeMuth. Mesa allowed nine runs and seven hits while getting only one out.
“Maybe he just didn’t want to pitch to me,” DiFelice said.
Mabry then became the second Mariners position player to pitch in game, joining infielder Manny Castillo, who did it on June 26, 1983.
Mabry got two outs, giving up two runs and three hits.
I didn’t know…
This is the most encouraging thing I’ve read all week. Look, getting Weaver out on the hill cost us $8 Million. Getting HoRam out there every fifth day cost us Soriano. Putting Bloomquist into the lineup costs us not having Bloomquist on the bench. I can live with that.
Bloomquist couldn’t be any worse than Mateo
#18 Make it so! It is not like this team is going to win anytime soon.
I wonder if he’ll be like Wade Boggs when he pitches.
I know most of you guys dislike Willie/ the media’s love of him. But this is a great little tidbit. You gotta tip your hat to him on this one. Thats a crafty move.
WFB could a King and His Court kind of deal, where he takes the mound with three of his buddies from Port Orchard behind him. They could barnstorm.
I’m all for it. If he’s pitching he ain’t hitting. Hell if Willie were a full time pitcher he’d be seen as a *good* hitter. I think he should pull a Ron Mahay and save us all some trouble. I mean, how hard could it be to take Juilo Mateo’s job?
From the Seattle Times:
“Seattle’s starting rotation has a cumulative 6.44 ERA through the team’s first 14 games. Weaver, Miguel Batista and Horacio Ramirez surrendered 15 runs and 24 hits over a combined 13-plus innings during the series.”
Do I want to see Bloomquist pitch? No. But this highlights the fact that if your starting pitching sucks nothing else matters.
My Spring optimism is pretty much gone.
Let’s sign the ghost of Eddie Gaedel to a one-day contract while we’re at it.
Yeah, hard to imagine him doing any worse. Do you realize that the M’s starters have a 10.17 ERA during this losing streak? Positively horrific.
Fwiw, Mariner infielder Manny Castillo had one of the longer “position player pitching performances.” (Wow, trying saying that four times really fast).
6-26-83, he went 2 2/3 giving up 8 runs, 7 hits, walked 3 and actually struck out 2! M’s lost 19-7 to the Jays. Some guy named Mike Morgan mopped up for Toronto. I heard he stuck around for a few years & may have played on another team or two.
22
Do you think he actually has friends? I wonder what kind of things he does with his money? he probably hangs out with hargrove
Jamie Burke had a super long minor league position player pitcher role performance. 3 innings, I think. Too drunk to fact check.
Burke pitched against Tacoma, in fact.
Burke pitched three effective innings against the Rainiers in ’99 and got 3Ks and the win.
How would you like to be one of the guys who struck out against him, or against Castillo in ’83? I mean, even if he was a pitcher in highschool or whatever and had decent stuff, it would still be embarassing.
Me, I want to see Ichiro pitch for an inning. From the outfield, just like in the commercials. That’s legal, right? He won’t be in front of the rubber…
Then maybe they could auction off an inning to the fans, or just have a drawing based on your seat at Safeco. Call it the Mateo Memorial Gascan Fan Relief Appearance. “Section 108, row 21, seat 6: come on down! You’re going to face David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez, and J.D. Drew! Go ahead, take as many warm-up tosses as you think you need…”
#31 – I’m pretty sure you have to be standing on the rubber no matter what.
Kudos to Willie! I appreciate it when you make yourself useful in whatever way it might be! All the grief he gets from us…he deserves praise for the good things he does!
I also agree…he deserves at least as much chance as Weaver right now. If we can sub Willie for Yuni or Lopez…doesn’t it make sense that we can sub Willie in the rotation for Weaver once or twice?
I watched the movie “Fracture” over the weekend. Ryan Gosling, the lead actor opposite Anthony Hopkins, looked really familiar to me. It took me almost the whole movie to figure out who he reminded me of – Willie B! He’s a dead ringer. And yes, it was a scrappy performance.
1- truly hilarious.
I believe the technical pitching term for breaking stuff thrown from 30 feet is a gritball. Or a gritter, as in “Guerrero just parked that 3-0 gritter from emergency pitcher Willie Bloomquist into the left field bleachers.”
If Willie took the mound I would go to a game. I’m not going to another game until they get over 500 again. I’m resigned to the possibility that that may not happen till next spring…
Go M’s!!!
Having stood in against both Bloomquist and Ellison in high school, I think we should send them both to the pen if it means getting rid of Mateo.
37 — Did you take them deep?
that just sounds soooo wrong.
If Willie took the mound I would go to a game. I’m not going to another game until they get over 500 again. I’m resigned to the possibility that that may not happen till next spring…
Or the spring after that, or the spring after that…. The 1980s welcomes you back. Your teal parachute pants and crazy hairstyle are waiting.
An appearance as a pitcher would give Willie Ballgame something in common with Teddy Ballgame.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/w/willite01.shtml
Don’t keep wishing Ichiro would come in and pitch, please!!
Jose Canseco was still a pretty good hitter when he did that. He missed half the Texas Ranger 1993 season when he blew out his elbow pitching against the Red Sox in — what else? — a blow out game.