Brewers coach -- yes, coach -- Jason Lane homered in an exhibition game
The Brewers defeated the Biloxi Shuckers, their Double-A affiliate, 7-4 in an exhibition game on Saturday. The big league club racked up 11 hits, including three home runs -- one from Domingo Santana, one from Ryan Braun and, in the eighth inning, one from Jason Lane.
Former MLB outfielder/pitcher, one-time movie star and current assistant hitting coach Jason Lane.
The 39-year-old Lane pinch-hit for Rene Garcia (who pinch-hit for Ramon Flores) in the eighth and sent one out to left-center field, apparently using the old coaching method of, "Here, just watch me do it."
If you think it's weird that a coach would take some cuts during a game, exhibition or not, consider Lane's career for a moment: After pitching and playing the outfield while at USC, including both getting the win after pitching 2 2/3 in 1998's College World Series championship game and hitting the game-winning grand slam, Lane was drafted in the sixth round by the Astros in '99. After reaching the Majors in 2002, he played six seasons as an outfielder with the Astros and Padres. He then bounced around the Minors for a bit until '11, when he signed with the D-backs, as a pitcher. And in '14, he returned to the Majors, once more with the Padres, where he pitched 10 1/3 innings over three games (including a start against the Braves). After pitching for Triple-A El Paso in 2015, he then switched back to hitting, as the Brewers hired him to be their assistant hitting coach this past December.
So really, bench coach/pinch-hitter wouldn't be that strange in the context of Lane's shifting oeuvre. This could simply be the next entry in his redemption saga.
And, just for the record:
Spring Training HR leaderboard, coaches' division: Jason Lane 1, Barry Bonds 0. https://t.co/NyebBm97WO
— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) April 2, 2016