AP: Batista pitches through pain to prove a point in Mariners’ 9-6 loss to the Athletics

Miguel Batista left the Seattle Mariners’ 9-6 loss to the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday because of a sore back… Despite back pain, Batista retired the top of the A’s lineup in order in the third.

“I wanted to prove a point to myself,” he said. “I wanted to prove I could pitch hurt. How many chances in life do you have a chance to learn something you can use for a lifetime? It took me 20 years to pitch with confidence. It may sound stupid to a lot of people but it proved a lot to me.”

Batista trotted out for the third inning before Mariners manager John McLaren could remove him.

“I found out about it the last inning,” McLaren said. “I went to talk to the trainer about it and it sounded like it was not a big thing.”