Outfielder Jason Lane makes it back to the bigs - as a pitcher
37-year-old outfielder is newest pitcher on the Padres
The latest pitcher to join the Padres bullpen is 37-year-old Jason Lane, who was last seen in the big leagues in 2007 … as an outfielder. Lane had a successful, if brief, stint in the Astros outfield, with his best year coming in '05, when he hit 26 home runs with an .815 OPS. In that year's postseason, he belted two home runs in the NLCS and another two in the World Series.
When he was in college, Lane pitched in relief for a USC team that won a national title in 1998. He expected to be drafted as a pitcher, before breaking the thumb on his throwing hand playing the field. His effectiveness at the plate proved to be enough to get him to the bigs, but now, in the twilight of his Major League career, Lane is getting back to basics for the Padres.
On Tuesday, Lane struck out three Pirates batters in 3.1 scoreless innings of relief for San Diego.
My first major league pitch last night! What a journey#blessed pic.twitter.com/WGRBiRGZkV
- Jason Lane (@Jasonlane16) June 4, 2014