Jim Bullinger was a converted shortstop. Drafted in the ninth round in 1986, Bullinger couldn’t hit above .200 after his first couple of years in the system so the team converted him to pitching in late 1989.
In June 1992, after he posted a 2.45 ERA and 1.318 in 20 relief appearances for Triple-A Iowa, Bullinger was called up to the big leagues and joined the Cubs in St. Louis, where the team was beginning a four-game set with the Cardinals, the first two as a doubleheader, making up a rainout from April.
Shawn Boskie started the first game and threw four scoreless innings but had to leave with back spasms, and was replaced by Bullinger in the fifth.