Royals 2B Nate Eaton Sets Radar Gun On Fire During Relief Appearance In Blowout

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There are obviously a few differences between Little League and the MLB, like the fact that professional baseball players aren’t able to benefit from the mercy rule that would allow them to head home early after a game turns into a blowout.

Many teams opt to turn to the MLB’s equivalent of load management in those scenarios by giving the bullpen a break and allowing position players to step onto the mound to let real, actual pitchers rest their arms instead of tiring themselves out in a game that’s all but over.

That has led to some pretty entertaining situations over the years—including the time Minnesota Twins fan favorite Willians Astudillo threw some of the slowest pitches you’ll ever see after getting the chance to show off his stuff during a 10-3 rout.

Prior to the current season, the MLB decided to address a recent rise in the frequency of position players pitching by introducing a new rule that limits the situations where they’re allowed to toe the rubber (the losing team must be trailing by eight or more runs, while a winning team can only get in on the action if they’re up by at least 10 in the ninth inning).

On Monday, the Royals “earned” the right to eschew the bullpen after the Rangers posted seven runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to help take an 11-2 lead into the bottom of the eighth.

Kansas City second baseman Nate Eaton was handed the baseball at the top of that frame, and it’s hard to imagine Texas was ready for what they ended up facing when you consider he consistently topped 90 MPH in an outing where he surrender two hits but also recorded a strikeout while preventing the Rangers from scoring any more runs.

It doesn’t get much more impressive than that.