The biggest suspense after that was whether Bochy would turn to a position player to pitch in hopes of conserving his bullpen for the stretch run. He did -- bringing third baseman Sean Burroughs in to work the eighth.
Throwing 75 mph "fastballs," Burroughs allowed four hits and three runs, including Holliday's foul-pole shot, in his first major league pitching appearance.
Holliday called going against a position player on the mound a "no-win" situation for him or any batter. Burroughs simply tried to have fun with it.
"The home run was a mistake pitch, definitely," he joked. "You can't blow a 78 mph fastball by a hitter the caliber of Matt Holliday."