Watch Cardinals’ Shelby Miller Trust Fall Into Bullpen Role

Pitcher Shelby Miller had to earn his way into the St. Louis bullpen on Sunday afternoon. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

St. Louis Cardinals’ starting pitcher Shelby Miller is a starter no more, as manager Mike Matheny has made the decision to move him to the bullpen and spend some time using just a 4-man rotation.

While this is not new news–the report came out on July 18th via Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com–a video has circulated of Miller going through an initiation of sorts in order to join the bullpen this Sunday.

Bullpens are notoriously close–consider how much time they spend watching games together and the collective pressure of their jobs–and they are also notoriously goofy. “Boys will be boys” as they say, and just because said boys are professional baseball players, that doesn’t mean it’s all straight-laced seriousness all the time.

For instance, Texas Rangers’ reliever Derek Holland went on the radio to discuss a game called “Fart Bottle Roulette” that the Texas bullpen plays. Hilarity ensues when somebody opens up the water bottle that has unfortunately been farted into.

This is true fun, and true journalism, folks.

While the Cardinals pen may not have the type of “fart fun”that Texas has–that we know of–St. Louis’ bullpen still knows how to have a good time. Yesterday, the Bullpen forced Miller to take a “trust fall” off the wall in right field. You can see video of said trust fall below (h/t Bleacher Report):

Let it be known that this was not an ordinary trust fall, when the poor soul merely has to fall backwards and hope that his friends break his fall. Miller was pretty high off the ground standing up there on that side wall. Believe you me, the human mind does not just automatically take kindly to the thought of falling backwards, especially from that height. It had to have been nerve-wracking for the Cards’ new reliever.

The good news is, the bullpen came through and saved Miller. Hopefully this is a sign of more saves to come for St. Louis.