Michael Lorenzen has turned into a versatile weapon for the Cincinnati Reds, and on Wednesday he put himself alongside the greatest two-way player ever.
Lorenzen shined during the Reds' 8-5 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. He entered the game in the seventh inning as a pitcher - his natural position - and proceeded to allow one run over two innings on the mound. That was enough to eventually earn Lorenzen his first win of the season.
Lorenzen hit for himself in the bottom of the eighth and padded the Reds' lead by blasting a mammoth home run to center field.
Since entering the league in 2015, @Lorenzen55 has 7 HR which is the 2nd most for a pitcher during that span (Bumgarner, 12). #PitchersWhoRake pic.twitter.com/taspNfQ8LL
— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) September 5, 2019
Putting the cherry on top of his fabulous night, Lorenzen followed up his homer by moving from the mound to center field for the ninth inning.
Although a ball wasn't hit his way in the outfield, patrolling center allowed him to make some baseball history. Lorenzen became the first player to earn a win, hit a home run, and play in the field defensively since Babe Ruth did it for the New York Yankees on June 13, 1921, according to Stats By Stats.
Unlike Lorenzen, Ruth - who was a full-time outfielder in 1921 - pulled it off as a starting pitcher. He earned the win despite walking seven batters over five innings before moving to center field, though Ruth also outdid Lorenzen by hitting two home runs.
Babe Ruth hit 2 HR in that game (he started). Told David Bell that, "Tell (Lorenzen) that -- he'll do it." https://t.co/XbNqFZqdqz
— C. Trent Rosecrans (@ctrent) September 5, 2019
"That's pretty exciting. I'm going to have to look into what Babe Ruth would be making today and sit down with (the front office)," Lorenzen quipped postgame, according to The Associated Press. "It's one of those funny little baseball stats. I'm definitely honored to be part of that. It's cool to be part of a Babe Ruth stat."
Lorenzen started getting more time in the outfield this season after excelling as an occasional pinch hitter last year.
The 27-year-old is slashing .353/.421/.588 with four RBIs, two extra-base hits, two walks, and three stolen bases across 18 plate appearances in 2019. On the mound, he's 1-4 with a 3.04 ERA, 75 strikeouts, and six saves over 74 innings.
