The Mets were ready to put forth a lineup on Tuesday night similar to what they usually have, until bad luck struck and they had to rejigger everything because Jose Reyes and Wilmer Flores were both scratched
(Interestingly, both players had sore left rib cages. Stop horsing around in the clubhouse, boys.)
So with limited options, the Mets decided on something quite unorthodox: They slotted in Travis d’Arnaud at third base. The only problem is that d’Arnaud is the catcher and had never played third base throughout both the minor and major leagues.
He hadn’t even spent time at a defensive position besides catcher since 2012 when he played first for a few games.
So in order for the Mets to feel comfortable with this choice, and to hopefully keep the ball as far away from d’Arnaud as possible, Terry Collins switched him with Asdrubal Cabrera at second base depending on who was at the plate.
So, officially, Travis d’Arnaud switched back and forth 12 times and played 3B-2B-3B-2B-3B-2B-3B-2B-3B-2B-3B-2B throughout the game. How very Mets.
It worked, though, as he didn’t touch a ball at all until the ninth inning, at which point he caught a routine pop up. Must be one of the first times in history that the Mets Mets-ing hasn’t ended in complete disaster.
UPDATE: d’Arnaud and Cabrera officially switched 22 times throughout the game. The Mets still lost.