Pitchers Batting

In the National League pitchers still have to come to the plate. Oftentimes they are asked to bunt, but sometimes the manager tells them to swing away. Here are some cards featuring pitchers batting.

1998 Upper Deck #99 Darryl KileSome of my favorite cards feature a batter just when he makes contact with the ball. Here's Darryl Kile getting a hold of one. Kile was a .132 career batter with 2 widely spaced home runs (one in 1993, the second in 2001).

1997 Collector's Choice #197 Curt SchillingI wonder where Curt's bat ended up. He's let go of the handle at the top of his follow through. For a pitcher, Schilling had a decent career average of .151.

2010 Upper Deck #297 Yovani GallardoLooking very much like Prince Fielder, Yovani swings hard. In four seasons he's got a respectable batting average of .218 with an amazing 8 home runs!

2007 Upper Deck #339 Roger ClemensRoger, of course, spent the bulk of his career in the American League. So most of has career batting stats were compiled in the 3 years he played for the Astros. He hit .166 for the 'Stros with 11 RBIs. Here he ends up with a broken bat.

2004 Bazooka Red Border Chunks # 93 Greg MadduxMad Dog, wasn't exactly a push-over at the plate with a .171 career average and 5 home runs. Most of the cards I have of him at the plate feature him bunting but here he's just taken, what looks to me, like a clumsy swing.

1995 Upper Deck #142 Fernando ValenzuelaEl Toro was actually a pretty good hitter with a .200 career average, 10 home runs, and 84 RBIs. It looks like he's watching one sail out of the park here but he only had 3 hits with the Phillies. Maybe this was the only extra base hit with the Phillies, a double.