Infielder David Fletcher, who last was seen with the Atlanta Braves earlier this season, resurfaced again this week. But Fletcher didn’t reemerge into the space by playing in the field.
No, instead, he did because he’s turned into a knuckleballer.
Fletcher has suited up for Triple-A Gwinnett after the Braves outrighted him there last month. The former Los Angeles Angel has had a bit of a tough sled the past few seasons. But on Thursday, things looked rosy. Quite rosy, in fact.
Fletcher pitched a scoreless inning and struck out the side!
Obviously, a position player pitching isn’t the most unordinary thing. But it is certainly worth a bullet point or two when the position player not only throws a strikeout, but strikes out the side. Knuckleballs continue to be one of the pitcher’s best friends (though, not quite as ‘best’ as the double play) as those hitters were just fooled and stifled by Fletcher’s “stuff.”
There’s no telling if or when Fletcher will make it back to the big leagues. But, when he does, he has a fun story to tell his Braves teammates. He’ll remember that one for quite a while, we imagine, and really–good for him.
[MLB]
About Chris Novak
Chris Novak has been talking and writing about sports ever since he can remember. Previously, Novak wrote for and managed sites in the SB Nation network for nearly a decade from 2013-2022