With the Cincinnati Reds putting on a hitting display against the Chicago Cubs pitchers on Thursday at Great American Ball Park, the Cubs turned to shortstop Andrelton Simmons to take his lumps on the mound.
As a part of a 20-5 demolition posted by the Cincinnati Reds over the Chicago Cubs, Simmons, a shortstop who had not been in the game previous to be called to the mound to pitch, threw the eighth inning. Taking the hill with the Cubs already trailing by 10 runs, Simmons would surrender five runs on five hits and also walk a batter.
Simmons would throw 25 pitches in his first-ever MLB outing, with 13 of those going for strikes. Of those 25 pitches Simmons hurled, three registered at 41 mph or less, including a 39.1 mph “fastball” that Matt Reynolds hammered to left field for a sacrifice fly. Reynolds had already taken a 40.1 mph “fastball” for a ball earlier in the at-bat before turning on a 1-1 pitch and driving it just short of the left field wall.
What does a 39.1 mph pitch look like? Check out the video below.
Watch Andrelton Simmons of the Chicago Cubs throw a 39.1 mph pitch to Matt Reynolds of the Cincinnati Reds
Simmons also made some history in his outing, throwing a 44.9 mph “fastball” to Kyle Farmer that the Reds shortstop swung on and missed, marking the slowest pitch to be whiffed in the Statcast era.
Andrelton Simmons, Sick 45mph...Pitch. 🤒 pic.twitter.com/szn6SDb1Jg
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 26, 2022
In case you’re wondering, while the 39.1 pitch from Simmons might have been slow, it wasn’t even close to the slowest one thrown during the Statcast era. Last season, Brock Holt of the Texas Rangers threw a 31 mph pitch (for a strike, no less) against the Oakland A’s as part of a scoreless eighth inning.
It was Holt’s third career pitching appearance, but it was one that would set a record for the lack of speed it brought with it on its way to the catcher.