Rick Ankiel returns to pitching (kind of) - A Hunt and Peck

He pitched in a game, just probably not one you saw!

By lil_scooter93 Aug 3, 2018, 1:00pm EDT

Most Cardinals fans know the story of Rick Ankiel - a phenom pitcher who came down with a severe case of The Yips in a playoff game, quit pitching, and returned to baseball as an outfielder. Prior to the era of Ohtani, he had been the only real two-way player since Babe Ruth. It was a terrific story, especially considering information about his early life that recently surfaced from his autobiography: The Phenomenon: Pressure, the Yips, and the Pitch that Changed My Life.

Since his retirement, Ankiel has been writing, but has also remained active in baseball. He has taken on some work with the St. Louis Cardinals, in fact. That is not all though. On Wednesday night, Rick Ankiel threw in a game:

Former @Cardinals Rick Ankiel strikes out the only batter he faced tonight. Cool to see him back on the mound.

Also went 2-for-4 at the plate with 4 RBI’s. pic.twitter.com/b09gUK4Glb
— Jevin Redman (@Jevin_13) August 2, 2018

So, before everyone gets too excited here, this is not a professional game. It is not even a semi-professional game. Rick Ankiel took the field in an exhibition game called the Bluegrass World Series, where former players square off against college players.

But maybe the experience ignited a little fire? Per Tim Brown of of Yahoo Sports:

Perhaps, he said, if his body allows and a team is willing to take a chance, he will give it one more run, next spring as a relief pitcher. He’d left a lot of bullets back there, half-a-lifetime ago, when his fastball was in the upper 90s, his curveball was unhittable, and there was nothing ahead but innings and casualties.

Could the re-return of Rick Ankiel be upcoming?

Ex-MLB player Rick Ankiel considering pitching professionally again | Yahoo Sports