The New York Mets have found many ways to self-destruct through the years, but Wednesday’s gaffe was one of the most creative yet.
The free-falling National League club batted out of order in the first inning of an afternoon game against the lowly Cincinnati Reds, erasing an Asdrubal Cabrera double and undercutting a early rally in an eventual 2-1 defeat at Great American Ball Park.
“It probably cost us the game,” Mets manager Mickey Callaway said afterward.
After New York’s Brandon Nimmo and Wilmer Flores struck out to make the first two outs in the top of the first, Cabrera hit a ground rule double to left field following the batting order appearing on the scoreboard, which had also been distributed to media and disseminated on social media before the game.
But the official scorecard given to the umpires before the first pitch had Cabrera batting second and Flores third.
Cincinnati manager Jim Riggleman pointed out the mistake to home-plate umpire Gabe Morales, which resulted in an automatic out to end the inning and kill the rally in the most Mets way imaginable.
Jay Bruce, who had already made his way to the batters’ box to hit fourth for the Mets, accounted for the third out without facing a pitch as Cabrera’s double stood in the scorebook. The play was scored as an unassisted putout by the catcher and New York’s Adrián González, batting fifth, led off the top of the second.
Under MLB rule 6.07(b):
When an improper batter becomes a runner or is put out, and the defensive team appeals to the umpire before the first pitch to the next batter of either team, or before any play or attempted play, the umpire shall (1) declare the proper batter out; and (2) nullify any advance or score made because of a ball batted by the improper batter or because of the improper batter’s advance to first base on a hit, an error, a base on balls, a hit batter or otherwise.
Cincinnati’s Adam Duvall won the game with a walk-off home run into the left-field seats off New York reliever AJ Ramos with no outs in the bottom of the 10th, sending the Mets to a 16th defeat in 23 games following an 11-1 start.
The Reds, who entered Wednesday’s game with the National League’s worst record at 9-27, took two of three from New York to win their first series of the season.
