The Atlanta Braves’ pitcher Julio Teheran (pronounced tuh-ron) was smashed for six home runs in two innings by the Detroit Tigers in a Spring Training game on Sunday.
While the Tigers’ batting lineup does carry some thump, this wasn’t simply a showing of brute force. A gusting wind was contributing to the unfortunate pitcher’s downfall, helping to carry balls out over the fence in right field.
The freakish effects of a strong wind were also shown in Florida the previous day when the Phillies and Yankees met in what was the first game of 2012 on MLB.TV.
At one point, a pop-up flew into the air and initially had the catcher looking to the skies and heading back towards the backstop. The ball was finally caught in between home plate and the pitcher’s mound by the pitcher Dontrelle Willis.
Teheran’s tough day on the mound called to mind a famous cricketing equivalent.Â
Back on 17 September 2007, England’s Stuart Broad was hit for six sixes off one over by India’s Yuvraj Singh in a T20 World Cup game. Broad is now England’s T20 captain and has turned into a consistently impressive international bowler, so the smashing by Singh hasn’t stopped his progress even though it occurred in a high profile, important contest (not that I consider any T20 international game really to be important – aside from those we win against the Aussies, of course – but that’s another matter).
Teheran is one of the most highly-touted pitching prospects in the game and his Spring Training shellacking will likely have no impact on the rest of what should be a long successful career. However, unfortunately for him, as for Broad, it will forever remain a curious footnote referred to by commentators.
Elephants never forget and neither do broadcasters keen on a quirky fact or two (which is basically all of them).