With the bullpen taxed in Sunday's 9-6 loss in 17 innings, the group of relievers needed relief for themselves. Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine tapped the outfielder for pitching duty.
McDonald took the loss by surrendering a three-run homer to Adam Jones.
But the outfielder wasn't overwhelmed when called upon — he entered the 17th inning with a basic approach.
"You want to come in, throw strikes — that's the main thing," McDonald said. "I left one out over the plate, and Adam Jones was able to get it into the air. I really focused in on trying to come in, just throw strikes. Our bullpen had been doing a hell of a job for us. I wanted to come in and pick them up."
"Obviously, it's a game that we needed to win," he added. "I wanted to come in and try to pick those guys up. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to do it."
McDonald did have previous pitching experience. The outing on Sunday marked his second career appearance as a pitcher and first since August 26, 2011, when he allowed one hit and two runs to the Athletics.
McDonald wasn't the lone position player to take the mound Sunday. After Baltimore used up all of its bullpen arms, manager Buck Showalter inserted first baseman Chris Davis.
In an interesting twist, Davis fired pitches like a bona fide hurler, striking out Jarrod Saltalmacchia and Adrian Gonzalez on fastballs and changeups. Davis' pitching arsenal even stunned McDonald.
"He actually had good stuff," McDonald said. "I was impressed. He had a lot of life on his ball. More than I expected. I don't know what's worse, giving up a three-run home run or grounding into a double play to end the game."
Either way, McDonald would prefer to stick to his regular duties.
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