If He Was Pitching, Who Was Catching?

New Dodger catcher Brent Mayne had the distinction four years ago of being the first position player to win a major league game as a pitcher since 1968, when the New York Yankees’ Rocky Colavito defeated the Detroit Tigers in the first game of a doubleheader.

Mayne, playing for the Colorado Rockies in 2000, was unavailable to catch because of a left wrist sprain. But Manager Buddy Bell sent him in to pitch the 12th inning against the Atlanta Braves on Aug. 22.

Mayne, who hadn’t pitched before in his professional career, took only 15 warmup pitches. He retired the first two batters, then gave up a hit and a walk before retiring Chipper Jones.

The Rockies scored in the bottom of the 12th to win the game.

The Hall of Fame requested and received Mayne’s cap and a ball from that game.

*

Trivia time: Robin Ventura pitched a scoreless inning for the Dodgers in a 13-0 loss to the Angels on June 25. What other current Dodger position player has made a mound appearance?

*

Thanks, Skip: Manager Jim Tracy indicated over the weekend that Ventura wouldn’t be making any more appearances on the mound.

“Robin says he has only got one inning in him this season,” Tracy said. “He’s worried about his ERA getting up there with Todd Zeile’s, so I told him I’d protect him.”

The New York Mets’ Zeile, who had pitched one scoreless inning before this season, on July 26 pitched one inning against Montreal, giving up five earned runs for a 45.00 ERA this season and a 22.50 ERA for his career.

*

All’s forgiven: Bill Plaschke’s Sunday article on Mary Decker Slaney, who now says her collision with Zola Budd in the 1984 Olympics was just an accident, reminded Brentwood reader John Colman of a tape that Jim Healy often played after the incident.

“Does this mean it’s not ‘all Zola Budd’s fault?’ ” asked Colman.

*

Fashion doesn’t matter: Former NFL offensive lineman Lincoln Kennedy, appearing in an Oakland Raider uniform at the recent L.A. Sports and Entertainment Commission’s “NFL 101 and 201” seminar in Hollywood, explained why his jersey was so tight.

“You don’t want to give a defensive player anything to grab onto,” he said. “We even tape our jerseys to our pads.

“Kids may like baggy clothes, but in the NFL it is the opposite. We like everything tight.”

*

Trivia answer: Steve Finley, who pitched one inning for the Arizona Diamondbacks in a blowout loss to the San Francisco Giants on Aug. 30, 2001. Finley walked a batter and hit Jeff Kent but escaped unscathed because of an inning-ending double play.

Note: The combined pitching record of Mayne, Finley and Ventura is 1-0 with an 0.00 ERA.

*

And finally: Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times reports there’s a rumor circulating in the NFL that Dallas Cowboy quarterback Vinny Testaverde tested positive for Geritol.

*

Larry Stewart can be reached at larry.stewart@latimes.com.