NEW YORK — Cincinnati backup catcher David Ross went 1-for-2 in the top of the ninth inning of Sunday’s 8-3 loss to the Mets, and the Reds didn’t score in the inning.
Impossible, you say? Well, OK, his first at-bat did not count against him.
Ross came to the plate instead of outfielder Corey Patterson to lead off the ninth inning and lined out. The batter in the No. 8 spot should have been Patterson, with Ross hitting ninth after an earlier double switch.
Mets manager Willie Randolph came out to inform the umpiring crew of the mix-up. So Patterson was charged with the out, despite never seeing a pitch, and Ross, batting in the proper position in the order, batted again — and singled.
So how do you pay back a teammate who you cost an at-bat? How about buying him dinner?
“Oh, yeah, that’s definitely true,” Ross said. “We’ve already discussed it.”
