David Bell has been experimenting with using Lorenzen as a two-way player all year but needed to convince himself that it would work out.
Lorenzen homered on Wednesday night. He finished the game in center field to become the first player since Babe Ruth in 1921 to play the field, be the winning pitcher and hit a home run in the same game. It opened the eyes of Bell, who had already opened his mind to do it but couldn't find enough situations to utilize Lorenzen's versatile talents.
"The home run didn't hurt last night," Bell quipped. "It is something we've been thinking about for awhile. He's been getting at bats lately and we've seen him in center field and right field at times during the year. Michael pitched two innings last night so wouldn't be available to pitch. Nick Senzel will be out a couple days so it all kind of fit."
Lorenzen claimed not to be into baseball stats all that much but, "It is cool to be mentioned with Babe Ruth. I've stayed prepared for it. I'm glad David has an open mind. I've been able to take advantage of opportunities."
Lorenzen didn't lobby for more playing time in the field but would drop hints.
"I would pinch hit for him and he'd say do you really want to do that. He was joking a lot but at the same time serious. He has the confidence to do it," Bell said.
Lorenzen, who has been listed on the Reds' lineup sheet with the other bench players as well as the list of relievers, didn't fault Bell for taking this long to make it happen.
"All year long we've had a bench that was good at their jobs," Lorenzen said. "He relied on them and you can't blame him."
Bell's reluctance was rooted in the unique circumstance of having a superior athlete who is capable of doing everything at a Major League level. There have been players with the skills to do both jobs, Micah Owings, who was a pitcher often used as a pinch hitter. Dusty Baker toyed with using Owings at first base while both were with the Reds. Brooks Kieschnick was drafted in the first round by the Chicago Cubs as a position player but was considered by many teams a top round pick as a pitcher. He pitched in 74 games over the 2003 and 2004 season for the Milwaukee Brewers.
"I've always said that I don't want to limit Michael but I think I have," Bell said. "I've learned a lot about Mike and the limitation of my thinking. The more he plants seeds the more I think about it. Most of the time, he's joking but sometimes he means it. It is my responsibility to not only listen to that but trust what I'm seeing. I know he believes in himself and is probably frustrated that he hasn't had more opportunities but he's handled it really well."
When Owings and Kieschnick were mentioned, Bell recognized there may have been missed opportunities.
"Who knows? I'd rather find out," Bell said.
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