CINCINNATI — The Pirates on Saturday added injury to insult.
The result was a crazy, calamitous scenario that had Josh VanMeter, who had not donned catcher's gear since he was 14, squatting behind home plate in the eighth inning of a tie game against the Reds at Great American Ball Park.
The outcome was predictable, a 9-2 Pirates loss, but how Pittsburgh arrived at this particular conclusion was ... well, pretty darn fascinating, a combination of events where the only thing missing was some spicy pork and broccoli.