CHICAGO _ Rob Brantly said it began with a joke.
The White Sox catcher recognized the team's predicament after left-hander Carlos Rodon was scratched with left shoulder stiffness before Thursday's 11-2 loss to the Indians at Guaranteed Rate Field. Knowing the Sox wouldn't want to burn all of their relievers to fill in, he told manager Rick Renteria he could pitch.
"I was like 'Hey, fresh arm today if you need it,' and I gave him a high five _ completely joking," Brantly said. "And then like all of a sudden in the ninth inning, I'm standing on the mound of a Major League Baseball game."
Brantly got up in the bullpen in the second inning to prove to Sox coaches he could throw the ball over the plate. And then with the Sox trailing by eight runs in the ninth inning, Renteria turned to the 28-year-old catcher, who estimated he hadn't pitched since he was about 12 years old and in Little League.
"My heart was pounding," Brantly said. "When I was jogging down there, I got pretty nervous. Then the warmup pitches were OK, but the first pitch I think I threw it maybe 40 feet. So that was a rough start, but once I threw a strike I kind of relaxed and got into the groove of it a little bit."
Brantly was the first position player to pitch for the Sox this year _ and the first Sox primary catcher to pitch in a game in club history.
Bradley Zimmer flied out to right field before Erik Gonzalez hit his second homer of the game to center field. Brantly then got Francisco Lindor and Greg Allen to ground out, making plays with first baseman Jose Abreu on each grounder.
"I got tested today on both of them," Brantly said. "I got a comebacker and I had to cover first. The one where I covered first, that play is no joke. There are a lot of different things going on there. Allen is a fast runner. He was barreling down for the knock, and to catch the ball and find the bag at the same time, I have a whole new respect for pitchers and their PFPs."
