The Mets batted out of order Wednesday. Not the Bill’s Muffler Shop Mets of the 12-year-old league. Not the Mets of the Coach Pitch League that can’t wait to get Air Heads and a Capri Sun after the game.
The New York F. Mets.
The ones in the Major Leagues, with the players who make millions of dollars. More importantly, with the manager who makes millions of dollars. You’d think collectively they’d know 2 comes before 3, but apparently not.
“It’s frustrating,” said Mets manager Mickey Calloway. Not the term I would use, especially if I were a Mets fan.
Against Cincinnati, Asdrubal Cabrera hit a two-out double, but because his name isn’t Wilmer Flores, that became a problem. Calloway entered one lineup into the computer and posted in the Mets dugout (Cabrera batting No. 2, Flores No. 3), but handed a different lineup to the umpires and to the Reds manager.
It took about two seconds for the Reds to point out the error and another two seconds for the umpires to tell Calloway he had instantly become baseball dumbest manager (until the next guy comes along.)
It didn’t help Calloway’s afternoon that the Mets lost 2-1. “It probably cost us the game,” Calloway said.
Well, it certainly didn’t help.
With all the double-switching that goes on during a game these days, I could maybe see it happening in the eighth inning of last game of a 15-game road trip. But in the top of the first?
What I find amazing is how long it’s been since the last time this happened. This is the first batting-out-of-turn incident since ’16. I would have thought 1916, but actually it was 2016. (The Milwaukee Brewers put on the dunce hat that day.)
For their next game, the Mets need to line up single file in the dugout and remind them “now you hit after the person in front of you.” And give Mickey Calloway a proofreader.