JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
Major League pitchers are the kings of the mound. They throw blazing fastballs over 100 miles an hour.
MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
But in the eighth inning of the Blue Jays-Orioles game on Tuesday?
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UNIDENTIFIED SPORTSCASTER #1: Holy Eephus.
UNIDENTIFIED SPORTSCASTER #2: (Laughter).
UNIDENTIFIED SPORTSCASTER #1: Thirty-five. Wow.
SUMMERS: You heard that right, 35 miles per hour.
KELLY: Holy Jebus, indeed. Toronto's pitcher was, in fact, their catcher, Ali Sanchez.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED SPORTSCASTER #1: Elite pitchability from Sanchez here.
KELLY: It was the second game of a doubleheader. They were down 14-4. They did not want to use their bullpen.
SUMMERS: And then, with a 1-2 count, no outs and a man on second, he faced Baltimore's catcher, Alex Jackson. And with a swing and a miss, Ali Sanchez recorded his first Major League strikeout.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED SPORTSCASTER #2: In a game that hasn't provided a lot of laughs for the Blue Jays...
UNIDENTIFIED SPORTSCASTER #1: Sure.
UNIDENTIFIED SPORTSCASTER #2: ...Some of them might've gotten a chuckle there.
KELLY: A small victory and a 16-4 loss, but in a game known for stats, a great piece of history.
(SOUNDBITE OF NANCY BEA HEFLEY'S "TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAME") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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