Seattle Seahawks Quarterback Russell Wilson Plays Pinch Hitter for New York Yankees, Strikes Out At-Bat Against Atlanta Braves
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson was in baseball gear last Friday, March 2, as a pinch hitter for the New York Yankees in a spring training game with the Atlanta Braves. He struck out but put in a respectable effort in the process.
It was certainly appreciated by the Yankees twitter account, which posted pictures of the QB in the batter's box. "Hey #73, that was pretty cool!" the post said, giving a heart for his effort in the field that day.
"That first pitch, I was ready to roll," Wilson said about his day on the diamond. "I just missed it. If I had connected with that one, it would have gone a long way," he added, as quoted by ESPN.
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The quarterback was pinch-hitting for Aaron Judge, Yankees right fielder, as he led off the bat during the fifth inning of the training game. He faced Max Fried, relief pitcher for the Braves.
Wilson gamely went after the first pitch, a high fastball that he almost nicked as he fouled. He would stay in for a 2–2 count before eventually getting struck out with another fastball.
Despite striking out, it was the energy of the crowd that would mark the experience for Wilson that day. "I'll always remember when they announced my name, and they call you up there and you get to go up to the plate and the crowd's going crazy," he recalled.
His brief outing this Friday was the first time Wilson played team baseball since 2011 when he was with the Colorado Rockies at the time. In practice, he has hit homers on the regular during batting sessions, launching as many as six home runs during his first.
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll is supportive of his interest in the major leagues. If anything, he just wants Wilson to start learning to deal with the curveball and start launching into right field just a bit.
There's nothing like a live game to learn that, though. "I'll never ever forget that, and it'll be a memory of mine forever," Wilson noted about Friday's game.
