Ryne Nelson had dirt on his uniform pants, a skinned knee from sliding and a grin on his face. It was quite a day for the Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher and it came at the plate.

As part of a game-turning eight-run eighth inning against the Chicago Cubs on Sunday, Arizona Diamondbacks right-handed pitcher Ryne Nelson achieved a rare feat in this, the era of the universal DH. He not only came to the plate as a batter,

It was the sixth inning Sunday and Torey Lovullo had a decision to make. His team was, in his words, “flatlining” at the time offensively and needed a spark. The Diamondbacks' manager looked over his options and sent Pavin Smith up to hit for second baseman Garrett Hampson.