The Rangers got shelled by the Red Sox yesterday; by the bottom of the 8th, they were down 17-5. So, rather than waste yet another pitcher, the Rangers let outfielder David Murphy take the mound.
Shockingly, Murphy — who hadn't pitched since high school — became the only Rangers pitcher of the night to throw a complete inning without allowing a run. He also had a strikeout.
Seriously: he struck Mike Carp out with a knuckleball that looked to be traveling below the local speed limit.
Carp was so angry/confused/embarrassed by the whole thing that he argued the call until he got thrown out of the game. Not sure if this makes it better, but it can't make it any worse.
And for his part, Murphy recognized the absurdity of the whole thing, which, after a leadoff double, also included Pedro Ciriaco and David Ortiz hitting into outs.
Hey: if a Cubs pitcher can hit a grand slam, a Rangers outfielder can strike someone out.
