From 'pure panic' to sore legs, chronicling VanMeter's inning as the emergency catcher

CINCINNATI -- Even after the second game was over, Josh VanMeter's legs were still sore. 

About six and a half hours earlier, he did something that he knew was possibly this season, but that he hadn't done since he was 14. He squatted behind the plate and caught.

VanMeter, the Pirates' emergency catcher, watched from behind home plate as the Reds rallied in the eighth to win the first leg of Saturday's doubleheader at Great American Ballpark, 9-2, before the Pirates got their payback with an 8-5 win in the nightcap.

Earlier this season, catchers Roberto Pérez and Andrew Knapp had simultaneous injury scares, prompting a discussion on who the Pirates' emergency backstop would be. Derek Shelton revealed that it was VanMeter, even though he had never done it as a professional.

So on Saturday, VanMeter was officially on call when Knapp was ejected from the dugout after complaining about a check swing call.

And when Pérez needed helped off the field after stumbling around second base?

"Pure panic," is how VanMeter would describe his emotions in that moment.

He didn't have time to get scared, though. He had to get prepared to catch.

First, put on a cup.

Second, put on Knapp's gear. The one exception being Pérez's glove, which has the wristband. A pro for catching major-league pitching.After all, the last time he caught, "guys weren't throwing that hard and stuff wasn't moving like that."

Third, some advice. Third base coach Mike Rabelo used to be a big-league catcher and had some pointers, starting back from the scenario earlier this year when VanMeter was a little higher up the catcher depth chart. Game planning and strategy coach Radley Haddad would help with the actual pitch calls. If a pitcher shook him off -- like Beau Sulser did -- it's ok. They'll figure it out.

Now get out there and good luck.

"You've got to take your hat off to him" Wil Crowe, the first reliever VanMeter caught, told me after game two.

While there aren't official accounts of when the last time the Pirates used an emergency catcher is, going based on this reporter's estimation, the last time a non-catcher squatted behind the plate was May 10, 2001 when John Wehner took over for Jason Kendall in the eighth inning against the Cardinals. The last time it appeared Wehner appeared at catcher out of necessity was 1995, when Don Slaught was removed from the ninth and then played scarcely for a week after.

It's a once in a generation event. Hopefully, at least, for the player, since catching can be dangerous. While it didn't hurt much, VanMeter was initiated quickly into catcher life being being domed by a foul tip off the mask.

"Everything happened so fast," VanMeter said. "[Home plate umpire] Will Little behind me was like, 'are you alright?' And I'm like 'yeah, I'm fine.' It didn't really bother me a whole bunch. I think my legs are more sore being in a crouch for that long than the foul ball."

Pirate pitchers appreciated the effort, and that they didn't just have to lob in batting practice pitches and hope for the best. VanMeter had to block breaking pitches in the dirt and catch the full arsenal of stuff.

"It's not easy, but you've got to go with the flow, right?" Crowe said.

"It was," he said before pausing a moment, "different."

Different led to a couple no-win scenarios. Crowe was squeezed by a couple tough ball calls in the eighth, enabling the Reds to rally. VanMeter was trying to just catch the ball, so pitch framing was out of the question. Those catches didn't give Little a good target to call balls and strikes. As a result, a couple free passes stoked the flames of a Reds rally, and Crowe had his worst frame of the season.

Sulser would come on in relief and the Reds would wind up with seven runs, partly stemming from a two-out Sulser error. 50 pitches later, VanMeter got to shed the tools of ignorance and take his final at-bat. 

There, Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson told him that when his arbitration hearing comes up, he should try to get something extra because he's officially a catcher now.

"I feel like it wasn't that bad," VanMeter said. "Maybe it was that bad, but it didn't feel too bad."

He shouldn't feel bad. It was a long inning, but the catcher was exempt from any criticism.

"If I do a better job fielding my position, we're out of it and it doesn't snowball," Sulser said. 

"He didn't walk those guys," Crowe said. "He didn't hit a guy in the shoulder [with a pitch]. At the end of the day, I hurt myself more than anyone else did."

After the game, the Pirates were able to get Michael Pérez to the clubhouse from Class AAA Indianapolis. Knapp started the second game, and VanMeter went back to his duty as the emergency third-string catcher.

"Just part of the job, I guess," VanMeter said. "It was fun. Hopefully it never happens again."

GETTY

Bryan Reynolds is greeted int he dugout after hitting a first inning home run in game two.

• Pérez exited game one with what the club called left hamstring discomfort. He still had some imagining scheduled after game two, so there is no further update on his status other than he is on the 10 day injured list. He was seen exiting the clubhouse with a crutch.

Michael Pérez had his contract selected from Class AAA Indianapolis and has joined the team. Left-hander Sam Howard was designated for assignment to clear a roster spot for him.

• Saturday was the first time in Knapp's major-league career that he's been ejected from a game. And he knows he shouldn't have put himself in that position:

"I thought it was a swing," Knapp said. "I vocalized that. I guess they didn’t like that. Can’t happen. I know I’m the only backup catcher here, so the responsibility falls on me to keep a cool head. It was just a stupid mistake."

• Despite losing Roberto Pérez in the top of the inning, the Pirates had a golden opportunity to take the lead in the eighth, loading the bases before recording an out in a 2-2 game. However, Ke'Bryan Hayes, Daniel Vogelbach and Michael Chavis all struck out, setting the stage for a seven-run bottom of the inning.

"We need to have better at-bats in that situation," Derek Shelton said. "We had a chance to break the game open. We didn’t do that."

• Game two, on the other hand, started with a bang, with Bryan Reynolds, Yoshi Tsutsugo and Diego Castillo all homering in the opening frame.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it was the first time the Pirates have ever hit three home runs in the first inning of a game.

"I’m really happy that, throughout the long history of the Pirates, I’m able to be a part of that," Tsutsugo said through interpreter Brian Tobin. It was Tsutsugo's first home run of the season.

Ben Gamel tacked on another home run in the fourth as part of another multi-hit performance, raising his OPS to .853. That conversation he had with hitting coach Andy Haines continues to pay dividends. 

• JT Brubaker struck out nine over five innings in the game one start, relying on the slider. Crowe was effective in the sixth and seventh, but hit a rough spot with VanMeter behind the plate.

All of a sudden, you have to change your gameplan," Shelton said. "I think you saw when he came in in the sixth and what he did in the seventh, how good he was. Then, after that, l think it was just unfortunate for him. It’s human nature."

In game two, Mitch Keller allowed five runs over 4 1/3 innings before handing the ball off to Heath Hembree, Max Kranick, Chris Stratton and David Bednar. Kranick was a bit erratic but showed consistent 95-98 mph and posted two zeroes, and Bednar got the save.

THE ESSENTIALS

• Boxscore
• Live file
• Standings
• Statistics
• Schedule
• Scoreboard

THE HIGHLIGHTS

THE INJURIES

• 10-day injured list: SS Kevin Newman (groin), RHP Duane Underwood (hamstring)

• 60-day injured list: OF Greg Allen (hamstring), RHP Blake Cederlind (UCL), RHP Nick Mears (elbow surgery)

THE LINEUPS

Shelton's card for game two:

1. Ben Gamel, LF
2. Bryan Reynolds, CF
3. Ke'Bryan Hayes, 3B
4. Daniel Vogelbach, DH
5. Yoshi Tsutsugo, 1B
6. Diego Castillo, SS
7. Jack Suwinski, RF
8. Andrew Knapp, C
9. Cole Tucker, 2B

And for David Bell's crew:

1. Tyler Naquin, RF
2. Brandon Drury, 3B
3. Tommy Pham, LF
4. Mike Moustakas, DH
5. Colin Moran, 1B
6. Kyle Farmer, SS
7. TJ Friedl, CF
8. Matt Reynolds, 2B
9. Aramis Garcia, C

THE SCHEDULE

The Pirates and Reds will play the series rubber match Sunday afternoon at 1:40 p.m. Zach Thompson (1-3, 9.39) will try to build off his relief outing in Detroit against Tyler Mahle (1-4, 7.01). 

THE CONTENT

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