PHOENIX – Ryne Nelson experienced an extraordinary day as the Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher contributed crucially—not from the mound, but at the plate. The pitcher celebrated an impressive moment during the D-backs’ monumental eight-run eighth inning, leading to a 10-6 victory against the Chicago Cubs on Sunday. His contribution came in the form of an RBI single, which marked his first big league plate appearance, hit, and RBI.
Nelson, who transitioned from a college shortstop at Oregon to a dedicated pitcher, had consistently assured manager Torey Lovullo of his hitting capabilities. Nelson humorously remarked about his intentions with the bat, “I told him I was going to hit a missile somewhere. But we’ll take that.” His at-bat became essential as Lovullo had utilized all available position players on the bench at that point.
Despite batting a mere .171 during his sophomore year in college before converting to pitching, Nelson now boasts a perfect batting average of 1.000 in the major leagues, even though he hadn’t faced live pitching since 2018. During the eighth inning, with the Diamondbacks narrowly ahead at 7-6 and runners on first and second, Nelson saw his opportunity when teammates Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suarez executed a double steal, setting up two runners in scoring position.
With a clear objective, Nelson focused on putting the bat to the ball. He successfully connected with a 91.4 mph fastball from Eli Morgan, driving it through the Cubs’ infield and into the outfield. The resulting hit propelled him to second base on the throw to home plate, and he celebrated with a basketball-themed gesture that sparked joyous reactions from his teammates.
Reflecting on the support, Nelson said, “Everyone was super happy for me. It was awesome — smacking my helmet as I walked down the dugout.” Since adopting the universal designated hitter rule in both leagues in 2022, pitchers rarely have the opportunity to bat, making Nelson’s moment a notable exception rather than the norm.
Although he took pride in having the ball from his hit safely stored in his locker, Nelson modestly acknowledged that such occurrences might remain rare. “I’ll leave that to the guys who are really good at it,” he stated. “I’ll be ready if they need me, but hopefully it doesn’t happen too often.”