(Audacy) The Yankees' blowout of the Cubs on Sunday reached farcical proportions when Chicago manager David Ross tabbed first baseman Frank Schwindel for mop-up duty.
Schwindel's second career pitching appearance came in the bottom of the eighth inning, with the Yankees enjoying an insurmountable 13-run lead in an eventual 18-4 win.
The journeyman slugger Schwindel promptly served up a home run to Yankees catcher Kyle Higashioka on a pitch that was reportedly the slowest ever thrown for a round-tripper at 35.1 miles per hour, according to Codify Baseball.
But the episode didn't sit well with some fans, as the game was all but decided by the time Schwindel was sent to the mound.
After all, what's there to be gained by having guys play out of position in a game in which there's no question about the outcome and the trailing team has put up the white flag?
It seems all that can come of such a scenario is the potential for injury -- hello, Jose Canseco -- and perhaps the inflation of statistics for the lucky batters who get to take a few cuts against sub-professional competition.
Perhaps not surprisingly, some fans and baseball observers on social media used the occasion to renew calls for a mercy rule of some kind.
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