Former Oklahoma State Pitcher Lands Rare RBI Hit for Braves

This Oklahoma State Cowboys pitcher is enjoying a boost in productivity with the Atlanta Braves — and not just on the mound.

Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Victor Mederos. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The opportunities for former Oklahoma State Cowboys pitcher Victor Mederos to impact a Major League game have been rare.

But how he impacted Atlanta’s 15-1 win over the Texas Rangers on Friday is even rarer.

Mederos threw two innings against the Rangers on Friday, giving up three hits, one earned run and striking out one batter in a game that was already in hand. With the game out of reach for Texas, the Rangers took advantage of the rule that allows them to use a position player to pitch in the late innings.

Rangers manager Skip Schumaker turned the ball over to catcher Kyle Higashioka, who pitched one inning. Braves manager Walt Weiss, in turn, decided to give Mederos a spin in the batter’s box. The results were impressive.

Victor Mederos’ Big Night

Pitcher hitting
Position player on the mound

Victor Mederos gets the W for all the pitchers out there 🔥 pic.twitter.com/M7Lceb9RXL

— MLB (@MLB) July 18, 2026

Pitchers haven’t hit on a regular basis in the National League since 2021. In 2022, the game went to the universal DH, eliminating the pitcher in the batting order. So Mederos was doing something NL teams rarely do these days. But with the game out of hand, why not?

Mederos turned a Higashioka offering into a two-RBI hit, adding to Atlanta’s already extensive lead and making Mederos the first Braves pitcher to record a hit since 2021. it was his first career plate appearance and it was also the first time a pitcher hit in a game in 2026.

The Braves had the luxury of going that direction because of the lead. But they also didn’t want to use another reliever. So, Weiss lifted first baseman Matt Olson from the lineup and moved Dominic Smith to DH, which meant Mederos had to hit.

Per Grant McAuley, who covers the Braves for their flagship radio station, Mederos used Olson’s bat and batting gloves, and the All-Star led the reliever keep them after the game. Mederos also told reporters after the game that he was initially told not to swing but talked his way into being allowed to take a cut.

It was a great moment for Mederos, who is finally getting some traction in the Majors. In four relief appearances for Atlanta, he has a 1.29 ERA with six strikeouts and one walk in seven innings.

Mederos only pitched one season for Oklahoma State in 2022 after beginning his college career at Miami (FL) in 2021. The Cuba native went 4-4 with a 5.59 ERA in 14 games (13 starts) for the Cowboys as he struck out 62 and walked 21 in 66 innings. The Los Angeles Angels made him their sixth-round pick in the MLB draft that summer.

Mederos worked quickly through the minor leagues and earned his first Major League promotion with the Angels in 2023. He pitched in three games before he was optioned back. He pitched four games with the Angels in 2024 and five more in 2025 as he finished his career in Anaheim with a record of 0-3 and an 8.53 ERA in 12 games with three starts.

He ended up in Atlanta at the start of this season after the Angels designated him for assignment in late March and was traded to the Braves for international signing bonus money.