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Baseball is a sport where there’s an opportunity for strange situations to happen on a random Saturday afternoon in May. It’s what makes the sport great.
And in the case of Game 1 of a doubleheader between the Pirates and Reds on Saturday, a situation came up late in the contest that nobody anticipated. The Pirates were forced to use an emergency catcher.
Pittsburgh catcher Roberto Pérez injured himself when he tripped and fell rounding second base in the eighth inning and left the contest. Andrew Knapp, the Pirates’ backup, was ejected in the sixth inning for arguing a check-swing third strike call.
So with the game tied at two-a-piece, the Pirates turned to their emergency catcher, utility man Josh VanMeter to play catcher for the remainder of the contest. It was reportedly VanMeter’s first time playing catcher in a game since high school.
Pérez will likely be unavailable for Game 2 this evening, leaving the Pirates in a precarious situation with Knapp as the assumed starter and VanMeter once again serving as the emergency backup behind him.
Could the Pirates call up a catcher from the minors before the second game of the doubleheader? Local beat writers in Pittsburgh are wondering if the Pirates could get someone in from Triple-A Indianapolis in time for Game 2.
The second game of the doubleheader begins at 6:40 p.m. ET.
