Guardians player David Fry's failed attempt at pitching against Twins leaves MLB fans in fits - "Well that's only a 15.75 ERA. Better than I could do"

Cleveland Guardians catcher/first baseman David Fry took the mound against the Minnesota Twins on Monday night. With Cleveland getting blown out, the move was made to save the bullpen in a 20-6 loss, but Fry's distinct lack of pitching talent became transparent, although he managed four precious innings.

Fry's performance was an unmitigated disaster. He conceded seven runs, three of them being homers, in just four innings. His 50 mph pitches were sent flying around the park.

Still, he did better than starter Lucas Giolito, who gave up nine earned runs (and three homers) in three innings. And reliever Enyel De Los Santos let the game get out of hand by allowing four runs in the sixth as Cleveland fell behind 13-1.

Fans wasted no time in trolling the Guardians' decision to put Fry on the mound. They also heavily criticized his performance.

The Guardians are second in AL Central while the Twins are at the top. Their loss was a missed opportunity to narrow the gap between themselves and the AL Central leaders.

Why was Guardians position player David Fry pitching?

New signing Lucas Giolito was the Guardians' starting pitcher but had a rough night. He was hit for nine runs and three home runs in just three innings, including a grand slam. This poor performance forced general manager Terry Francona to make try to save his bullpen.

With the bullpen running low on options, Francona turned to David Fry to handle pitching duties. Fry threw 64 pitches in the final four innings to spare the bullpen from further fatigue.

However, Fry seemed to take it easy as he gently tossed the ball over the plate. Consequently, he was hit for seven runs. Having pitched once before, in a game against the Cubs, Fry has a career ERA of 12.60 now.

Using David Fry as a pitcher highlighted the Guardians' bullpen issues. High usage of the relievers from recent games made Fry's appearance a necessary but clearly desperate move.

Apart from two-way players like Shohei Ohtani, Fry's 64-pitch game calls to mind Jose Oquendo's performance in 1988. Oquendo, an infielder, threw 65 pitches over four innings for the Cardinals. Fry's 64 pitches rank as the highest pitch count by a non-pitcher since then.