The New York Mets are technically a Major League baseball team, but sometimes they act like something out of Bull Durham.
Like yesterday, for example, when they batted out of order and got called out on it by Reds Manager Jim Riggleman … but only after they got a runner in scoring position:
According to Mets beat Anthony DiComo, the umpires were given a lineup card with Asdrubal Cabrera batting second, but Wilmer Flores (who was supposed to be batting third) stepped up to the plate first.
The Mets batted out of order, and as a result forfeited a man in scoring position in the first inning. I've never seen that before in a professional baseball game.
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) May 9, 2018
But the best part is that Riggleman, the Reds manager, didn’t call out the Mets when Flores batted, because he got himself out. It was only after Cabrera doubled down the left field line that he pointed out the mistake. That’s smart baseball.
According to DiComo, Flores’ at-bat gets scored as a putout to the catcher, while Cabrera’s double was officially wiped off the books entirely.
The Mets, man.