Miguel Rojas took the mound late in the Dodgers’ 16-0 blowout loss to the Cubs recently, and for a brief moment, the internet had its fun. The veteran infielder—best known for his glove, not his arm—pitched the eighth and ninth innings, delivering comedy instead of command. He mimicked the windups of teammates like Clayton Kershaw and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, earning laughs from fans desperate for something to salvage from the team’s worst home shutout in franchise history.
But beneath the surface-level humor lies a recurring problem that Major League Baseball continues to overlook. Rojas allowed five runs on seven hits, inflating his ERA to 22.50—not that it mattered statistically. What mattered was the message: the Dodgers, one of baseball’s premier franchises, had effectively thrown in the towel. And the league let it happen.
Baseball has nominal rules around position players pitching, but they remain flimsy. Since 2020, players must be designated as pitchers unless the score differential is six runs or more. Yet appearances like Rojas’ are far from rare. The loophole is broad, and managers increasingly use it as a pressure release, preserving bullpens during lopsided games while cheapening the on-field product.
On paper, the logic is simple. Why burn arms in a game that’s already lost? But it’s a slap in the face for fans who pay to see a competitive product. The sight of a shortstop lobbing 49 mph fastballs while the opposing team pads stats might provide some viral highlights, but it also signals surrender. It’s not just a gimmick—it’s a failure of the sport’s competitive standards.
MLB needs to treat this issue with the seriousness it deserves. That means reexamining the current threshold for allowing non-pitchers to take the mound. Six-run leads aren’t the blowouts they once were, especially in an era of juiced offenses and rapid scoring. The league should consider narrowing the score margin, capping the number of position-player pitching appearances per team per season, or even banning them altogether except in emergencies.
Baseball is entertainment, but it’s also tradition, effort and pride. When teams roll over by handing the ball to someone with no business pitching, they concede defeat and disrespect the competition. Fans deserve better. The game deserves better. And if MLB wants to uphold the integrity of nine full innings, it’s time to take this circus act off the mound.
