Joe Maddon lived his best life on Wednesday night: He worked in some emphatic finger pointing (which got him ejected) and his team walked the Reds off on a wild pitch after a nutty game. Love him or literally strain an eye muscle rolling yours at him, Maddon lives for nutty like it’s his only life source. So, if he caught wind that Terry Collins got to play a catcher at third base and then switch him to second base 22 times, his best life probably went out the window. He probably crumpled up his four-man outfield headlines and went to go talk to Alex Avila about ground balls.
Terry Collins outmaneuvers the Mets injury bug
Thursday’s Say Hey, Baseball talks about the wonder of the New York Mets.
Photo by Elsa/Getty Images
Listen, we know it’s tough to catch up on everything happening in the baseball world each morning. Trying to find all of it while on your way to work or sitting at your desk just isn’t easy. It’s OK, though. Subscribe to our daily MLB newsletter and let us do the heavy lifting for you each morning to find the things you need to see.
After Jose Reyes left pregame warm ups with a left rib injury to match Wilmer Flores, Collins had holes to fill at second base and third base. And because this is the Mets, and the fates aligned in such a way over the course of a franchise, the best option was to put Travis d’Arnaud at third. And then second. And then third. Kind of like hot potato, but the aim was to keep the baseball away from a guy who hasn’t seen the infield since a few games in 2012.
The fact that the Mets were able to pull it off is a feat. d’Arnaud didn’t see a play until the ninth inning, an infield popup similar to what he would see behind the plate. Joe Girardi praised Collins for his smarts, which was perhaps easier to do because the Yankees won anyway. However cool, this isn’t a completely unprecedented tactic: Collins told d’Arnaud pregame that he had to do something similar in the minors in 1976. There’s no indication that Collins was pumped about his start for revenge-related reasons, though. “I wanted to make a diving play down the line, to rob someone of a base hit like people do to me,” said d’Arnaud, who is now hashtag relatable.
This is all very Mets of the Mets, yes. But that is a beautiful, glorious thing. There are those (me) worried that as the season(s?) wears on, there will be less and less appreciation for just how absurd the Mets are. New York found the one wave in the ocean filled with the most insanity possible and are still riding it for all it’s worth. And I love them.
The Mets are really, truly incredible when they’re not endangering pitchers’ livelihoods. Do you even remember or care about how much Robert Gsellman does or does not care or that the Wilpons plan to hoard the money that they saved in trades this season? OK, maybe. But since most people invested in the Mets performance have tempered their expectations, it might be OK to say that the team’s absurdity is a little fun. And they might even be fun if they ever decide they want to pull it together and win again, too.
- To the Rankingsmobile! Sure, all of the American league wild card teams could win the World Series. But this is baseball. It’s serious business. So, Grant Brisbee is here to let you know which AL wild card teams have the best shot.
- The second half of Aaron Judge’s rookie season isn’t all strikeouts and more strikeouts. He’s still throwing in some moonshots to keep the spark alive. He’s also reminding us that friends don’t trick friends into running routes to baseballs that go over the wall. Friends make sure homers are no-doubters so no one has to move.
- Jered Weaver is retiring retroactive to 2014. But his announcement was communicated by the Twitter equivalent of eating just the cookie part of the oreo.
- The Cardinals are me every time I meet an animal, claiming it as my own with a disregard for pretty much everything else. The team made it clear that they are claiming ownership of Rally Cat, with or without the adoption papers.
- The Red Sox demolished Mike Matheny’s (who is probably just stressed about Rally Cat) ability to keep calm and demoralized the Cardinals. Ah, Mookie Betts.
- Aaron Judge is turning heads as a rookie. His latest exploit is the single-season strikeout streak record.
- The Dodgers came back to win again last night. We know that because the sun rose this morning and because grass is green. But also, this recap includes a pitcher named Aaron Bummer, so you should click on it.
- Timmy Lincecum!!!!!111!!!1! His agent was at the Giants game in Miami, which means everything and nothing. There is a world of possibilities, the most likely of which end in Lincecum’s retroactive retirement announcement in two years. Sorry. I’m sorry.
- Giancarlo Stanton’s path has led him to become the most frightening hitter in the league and the most intriguing player on the trading block.
See More:
