Cody Anderson was not supposed to be here. This was Trevor Bauer’s start day. But due to Corey Kluber’s unfortunate injury, Cleveland rejiggered its pitching rotation, moving Bauer to next week and thrusting Anderson into his first MLB start since 2016.
Anderson started in Columbus on April 28 against the vaunted Durham Bulls. He faced luminaries of the game like Kean Wong and Emilio Bonifacio. Had he stayed in the minors, Anderson would have probably pitched on Thursday in Toledo and rested all weekend. Instead of spending his Sunday gardening or listening to the new Vampire Weekend album or whatever Cody Anderson does, he had to pitch in a Major League Baseball game.