Cubs First Baseman Frank Schwindel Continues To Get Work In On The Pitcher's Mound
On today's Pardon My Take... FRANK SCHWINDEL AND PATRICK WISDOM! The Chicago Cubs duo joined Mr. Cat and Mr. Commenter on today's show to discuss all things baseball, whether or not the balls are juiced this year, some great travel stories, and much more. Schwindel, a first baseman, has actually gotten in a decent amount of pitching reps in this season, too.
Full transparency here, this interview was recorded last week, right before the Cubs played their series against the Yankees. At that point, Schwindel took the mound the week prior against the Cardinals. Since then, he has pitched two more times. What's it like when a position player comes in to pitch? We got our answers on today's show:
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Mr. Commenter: Have either of you guys gotten into the game, you know, going back to your minor league career, as a pitcher?
Frank Schwindel: Oh, pitching?
Mr. Commenter: Yeah, I always loved that at the end of blowouts when they sensed it, like, [Yadier] Molina stepped in the other day.
Patrick Wisdom: He threw the other day.
Frank Schwindel: Yeah, got two quick outs and then let up back-to-back homers on back-to-back pitches. 61 MPH isn't it.
(Mr. Cat and Mr. Commenter laugh)
Mr. Commenter: Is that something that you had ever planned for? Like, if I get into the game here's my strategy.
Frank Schwindel: I was planning on like throwing some knuckleballs because I, you know, I mess around with it pre game all the time, and I got on the mound and they were just terrible. Might have been nerves or I don't know, a bad ball or something.
Mr. Commenter: Yeah, the humidity was off.
Mr. Cat: Yeah, you needed it to be fall weather.
Frank Schwindel: I said, scrap that. We're lobbing it in there, and it didn't work, and I think the last pitch I threw was 38, and [Harrison] Bader popped it up, so that might be the magic number.
Mr. Commenter: 38 MPH? That's a hell of a changeup.
Mr. Cat: Yeah, I would just throw eephus, yeah, every time. Just throw it like a lollipop. That's your only chance.
Frank Schwindel: Yeah, but it was fun. But hopefully, I don't have to do that again.
(Narrator: he did have to do it again)…
Mr. Commenter: What was the feeling, you know, after the batter hit the ball and it's going over your head, and you know it's a home run instantly… did you even think about doing the thing where you, like, hung your head or were you like, you know what? This is kind of what they expected out of me.
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Frank Schwindel: Oh, it's funny. I was shaking my head because I got the two quick outs. I was like, "Ah, maybe it's going to be a lucky day." And then first pich, I think [Corey] Dickerson was the first one that got me, and then [Lars] Nootbar got me the second. Two pitches, some damage real quick. You know, I think it was efficient. Three outs and two homers on ten pitches.
Mr. Cat: Oh, that's not bad.
Frank Schwindel: Got the boys off the field.
Mr. Commenter: Yeah, you got to preserve the arm for the next day in case they need you again.
Well, it turns out they indeed needed him again… and again. Frank Schwindel has pitched THREE times for the Cubs this season, and twice since this interview was recorded. But as Schwindel said, it was still fun for him!