Batting 3rd, the pitcher, Andy Sonnanstine

Posted May 17, 2009 by Marc Lancaster

Updated May 17, 2009 at 05:31 PM

Andy Sonnanstine made all kinds of recent history today:

* The last time a pitcher was in the starting lineup of an AL home game was Sept. 23, 1976, when Ken Brett hit eighth for the White Sox against the Twins.
* The last time any pitcher was listed higher than 7th in the batting order was Sept. 22, 1968 when Cesar Tovar led off for the Twins against Oakland. Tovar, a utility player by trade, played all 9 positions that day
* The last pitcher to hit in an AL home game was current Ray Matt Garza, who did it for the Twins on July 6, 2007 against the White Sox after an injury to catcher Mike Redmond forced the Twins to move DH Joe Mauer into the field. Garza went 0-for-2
* The last pitcher to get an RBI in an AL home game was the Rangers’ John Wetteland for the Rangers on Aug. 16, 1997 at the Yankees. The reliever had an RBI double in the 10th inning

(Source: Elias Sports Bureau)

Also, Sonnanstine became the first (real) pitcher ever to bat at Tropicana Field. Wade Boggs was technically the pitcher when he batted Aug. 10, 1999 at the end of a 17-1 blowout loss to the Orioles, working 1 1/3 innings in the meantime.