CINCINNATI (AP) — Josh VanMeter had just one thought when he suddenly realized the Pittsburgh Pirates needed him as a catcher.
“Pure panic,” he said.
Forced into an emergency role, VanMeter had a rough time Saturday when he moved from second base for his first try behind the plate since he was a teenager. The Cincinnati Reds took advantage to end a nine-game losing streak, beating the Pirates 9-2 in the opener of a doubleheader.
“It’s part of the job. They asked me to do it, and I did it to the best of my ability. I didn’t feel too bad back there,” VanMeter said.
“Hopefully, I won’t have to do it again,” he added.
Tyler Stephenson fouled a ball hard off VanMeter’s mask, then hit a tiebreaking, bases-loaded double in the eighth inning that fueled a seven-run burst.
Pirates starting catcher Roberto Pérez was helped off the field with a left hamstring injury after falling while rounding second base in the top of the eighth. Backup catcher Andrew Knapp had been ejected by plate umpire Will Little in the bottom of the sixth for chirping from the dugout.
That left VanMeter as the Pirates’ next best option behind the plate, so he traded his infielder’s glove for a catcher’s mitt.
It had been a while, too, for a player who’s listed as a second baseman/outfielder.
“I think it was when I was 14 in summer ball, but they didn’t throw as hard and their stuff didn’t move like that,” he said.
VanMeter quickly gathered up the equipment he’d need. He grabbed Knapp’s gear, but wound up using Perez’s glove.
“It’s part of the game. They needed somebody to step up,” he said.
The 27-year-old VanMeter, who began his career with Cincinnati in 2019 and is in his first season with the Pirates, took his new spot to begin the eighth. He also…
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