At the Olympic Games in Tokyo, one among the simplest amenities for the athletes could be the bullpen car getting used during Olympic baseball games. The car, equipped with a chauffeur, an alphanumeric display board on the front, and a glove throne, has been quite the hit for relief pitchers entering Olympic games. Team USA reliever Ryder Ryan needs to take a ride early Friday during the Americans’ 8-1 convert Israel in their first game of the tournament.
In 1960, Cleveland was the primary big league team to use a car to bring relief pitchers to the mound. The bullpen car, sometimes not far more than a glorified golf cart, was a staple in MLB from 1950 to 1995. The NY Yankees, on just one occasion, used a pinstriped Datsun 1200 as their bullpen car. In one of its many efforts to enhance the pace of play, MLB discussed bringing back bullpen cars. In 2018, the Arizona Diamondbacks were the primary team to bring the bullpen car back.
