Boggs on the bump

Brandon Boggs has done a lot of things during is professional baseball career.

The product of Georgia Tech made his major league debut on April 29, 2008, and has played 703 major league games between the Texas Rangers and Milwaukee Brewers. In nine professional seasons, the switch-hitter has amassed 690 hits between the major and minor leagues -- including 29 triples and 88 home runs -- and has stolen 70 career bases.

An above-average defender with a good arm, Boggs has recorded 43 outfield assists in his career and turned six double plays from the outfield.

In 55 games this season, Boggs has committed just one error in 95 total chances.

Last Tuesday night, Boggs showed off that arm in a way he never had in the pros: On the mound.

With Pawtucket beating the Indians 13-2 in the eighth inning at McCoy Stadium, Boggs took the mound to save some arms in the Indianapolis bullpen and ended up tossing a perfect inning, inducing a pair of groundouts and a flyout.

In fact, Boggs was the only Indianapolis pitcher to not allow a run in that game.

"The last time I pitched was probably my senior year of high school," Boggs said on Saturday when the team returned to Victory Field for a four-game series against the Rochester Red Wings. "It was a long time ago, over 10 years ago."

Putting a position player in to pitch isn't unprecedented, even this season. On May 12 at Victory Field, the Norfolk Tides sent Allan de San Miguel, usually a catcher, to the mound in the bottom of the 14th inning. de San Miguel did not fare as well as Boggs, allowing two hits, two walks and the game-winning run while not recording an out as Indianapolis won 5-4 on Matt Hague's walkoff single.

When de San Miguel entered that game, there was much musing in the Victory Field press box about which position player would be the one to pitch for Indianapolis in an emergency. Less than a month later, the answer was revealed, but the Indians had already put a plan in place.

"A while back, [Indians manager Dean Treanor] asked me if I could [pitch] and if I could throw strikes and I told him yeah," Boggs said. "And it just ended up that same situation came about and they were like, 'Alright, you got it this time' and I was like, 'Alright, perfect.'"

Boggs, who also went 2-for-4 in the game, said he just focused on throwing strikes in his appearance, throwing only two-seam and four-seam fastballs that ran between 79-82 miles per hour.

"You just don't want to get on the mound and be that position player that can't throw strikes and then walks the bases loaded and stuff like that and then give up even more runs and, ya know, makes it look even worse in the box score."

Boggs said he was pleased with his outing, happy to come out sans damage.

"I was like, well, I got through it -- and unscathed -- so I was just kind of happy," Boggs said. "And at the same time, it's a surreal feeling that you can come in and get these guys out.

"These are guys in Triple-A -- one step away from the big leagues -- and you can get them out, ya know, just using location. So I was just happy and relieved."

Michael Raines writes for indyindians.com and called it that Boggs would be the Tribe's go-to positional pitcher. You can contact him at therainesdelay@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Michael__Raines.