The Pitcher Who Can Hit

I always used to say that there was one play that summed up the last 17 years of Pittsburgh baseball better than any other. In the summer of 2007, Rick Ankiel of the Cardinals, hit a monster home run off of Pirates pitcher John Van Benschoten. Ankiel, of course, was the former pitching prodigy who all of a sudden lost the ability to throw the ball anywhere near home plate. That, in case you were unaware, is pretty much a prerequisite for being a pitcher in the big-leagues, All-star or not. After years of trying to overcome his condition for years, Ankiel finally just said “f-it, I’m a hitter now.” He worked his way back up the minor league chain and...