CINCINNATI -- The Pirates were forced to use an emergency catcher in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Reds after Andrew Knapp was ejected from the game and Roberto Pérez exited with an injury.
Josh VanMeter, who Derek Shelton had previously said was the team's informal third catcher, was forced to move from second to behind the plate in the eighth. It is the first time he has ever appeared as a catcher in a professional game.
"I give him a ton of credit," Derek Shelton said. "It’s not an easy thing to do."
Knapp, the backup, was ejected in the bottom of the sixth after yelling something from the bench on a Colin Moran check swing that was called a ball.
It was the first time in Knapp's career that he has been ejected from the game.
Andrew Knapp on being ejected, the first time it’s happened in his big league career pic.twitter.com/Pq17vmji0k
— Alex Stumpf (@AlexJStumpf) May 7, 2022
"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."
In the top of the eighth, Pérez slipped rounding second trying to advance further on a base hit. He was able to make it back to the bag, but needed to be helped off the field by team trainers. Rafael Freitas and Tony Leo.
The Pirates announced that Pérez left with left hamstring discomfort. He was seen leaving the Pirates' clubhouse with a crutch.
The Reds scored seven runs in the bottom of the eighth and won by a final score of 9-2.
The Pirates and Reds will play a second game at 6:40 p.m. at Great American Ballpark. The club does not have another catcher on the 40 man roster, so a corresponding roster move will be needed.
More to come.
