I understand how a baseball team can hit out of order, given how chaotic the lineup can get near the end of the game with double switches and so on and so forth.
But hitting out of order….in the first inning? That seems more than a little difficult to pull off.
Unless, of course, you’re the New York Mets.
In the first inning of the Mets-Reds game on Wednesday afternoon, Wilmer Flores and Asdrubal Cabrera hit out of order for New York, with Flores hitting second and Cabrera third instead of vice versa.
(for the record, the lineup tweeted out by the Mets had Flores second and Cabrera third, but that apparently wasn’t on the lineup card given to the umpires)
Here is today’s lineup. #LGM pic.twitter.com/j7bsIqXQFg
— New York Mets (@Mets) May 9, 2018
The umpires were given a lineup card with Asdrubal Cabrera batting second, and Flores third. Reds manager Jim Riggleman waited until Cabrera reached base to alert the crew. A little savvy gamesmanship on his part.
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) May 9, 2018
So, what the hell ended up happening? Cabrera, who doubled in his at bat, had it completely wiped away. Jay Bruce, who was hitting fourth, was called out, despite not even stepping to the plate. Flores, who was the player that hit out of order in the first place, had his strikeout stand.
Asdrubal Cabrera's double, meanwhile, is wiped off the books completely. The official scoring is a putout to the catcher.
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) May 9, 2018
So, now umpires say that Cabrera's hit does NOT stand. He just doesn't get an at-bat in the first inning.
It's all basically semantics and details but the point here is THE METS BATTED OUT OF ORDER.
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) May 9, 2018
In the third inning, the Mets hit properly, with Cabrera following Brandon Nimmo in the lineup hitting second and Flores hitting third…and Cabrera drove in Nimmo with a ground out.
The New York Mets, folks.
