Cubs Reliever Steve Cishek Had Absolutely No Interest in Batting

Some National League pitchers might actually be in favor of the universal DH. Cubs reliever Steve Cishek is surely among those pitchers.

Up 6-5 in the top of the ninth inning against the Nationals Sunday night, Cishek had a turn at bat against Nationals reliever Kyle Barraclough with two outs and a runner at first. His positioning in the batter's box tells you all you need to know about his enthusiasm for the situation.

It's easily noticeable that Cishek has both feet on the very edge of the right-handed box. He wants nothing to do with any of this. Relievers generally don't see many at-bats anyway, so perhaps the unwillingness to hack it is somewhat more understandable. Nevertheless, the optics don't look great when a professional athlete isn't going all-in to try and help his team win.

The Cubs would win the game by the same 6-5 score, but that's not the point. Cishek ought to take a bit more pride in his work.

I guess not every pitcher enjoys his at-bats as much as Bartolo Colon. Take notes, Steve.