Sinister Anniversary

Twenty-three years ago this week, Pittsburgh’s Benny Distefano pinch hit for Junior Ortiz and took over catching duties for the remainder of the game. It didn’t go very well--in the 7th, he failed to stop Oddibe McDowell from stealing second, there was a wild pitch, and a passed ball.

↵Why is this significant? Because Distefano was left-handed, and this was, for reasons that are not entirely clear to anyone, the last time a left-handed catcher played in a major league baseball game.