Pirates catcher Erik Kratz got the opportunity to pitch in Tuesday’s 15-4 blowout loss to the Giants. He faced five batters, allowing two hits and striking out one in a scoreless inning. It was the second time this season the 36-year-old backstop pitched. He did so on April 26 when he was with the Astros, who lost 11-1 to the Mariners. That time, he gave up two runs (one earneD) on three hits.
As baseball card company Topps illustrated with a commemorative card, Kratz is the first player since 1879 to both catch and pitch for two different teams in one season. It’s a rather specific bit of trivia, so it’s not quite as amazing as it seems on first blush but still interesting.
Kratz has had a tough time offensively this season, hitting a combined .061/.080/.143 in 50 plate appearances between the Astros and Pirates. But he’ll always have that trivia.
