The Chicago Cubs got absolutely shelled on Sunday afternoon in Yankee Stadium, as New York continued its assault of opposing pitchers, mashing four more home runs as they extended their league lead in dingers on the season.
Two of those long balls came off of the bat of catcher Kyle Higashioka, including an exclamation point on one of the funniest home runs you’ll see all season. The Cubs, trailing 17-4, trotted first baseman Frank Schwindel out to the mound in the latest example of a position player getting thrown to the wolves in a blowout. Schwindel wasn’t exactly throwing gas, as his pitches looked more like they belonged on a slow pitch softball field than a Major League Baseball diamond.
When Schwindel lobbed a 35 mile per hour (!!!) eephus pitch up there to Higashioka, the big man turned and burned on it, launching it into the left field bleachers in a pretty incredible display of power.
This 35.1 MPH Frank Schwindel pitch is the slowest (known/measured) MLB pitch to ever get hit for a home run! pic.twitter.com/oSO3sLnUyo
— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) June 12, 2022
It is easier to create home run power when you square up a fastball, as speed coming in means speed going out, but this one was all Higashioka as Schwindel wasn’t giving him any help in the power department with that lob. It’s the slowest recorded pitch to ever be hit for a home run, per Codify Baseball, and truly was something to behold.