Buck Showalter Exploits Loophole Rule in Mets Win Over Diamondbacks

Updated: Sep 10, 5:00pm UTC

The New York Mets hired Buck Showalter this past offseason in hopes that his experience and knowledge would be able to guide the players in the right direction. The move seems to be working so far after Showalter exploited a loophole in the rules during a win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

New York Mets News

It all went down in the sixth inning. Dominic Smith tagged up from third base to score on a sacrifice fly, but Arizona wanted to appeal that he left the bag too early. Once pitcher Oliver Perez stepped off the mound, though, J.D. Davis took off from first base and slid into second safely with a stolen base.

Davis' move negated any chance the Diamondbacks had to appeal given play had been resumed. The goal of this move is to essentially trade an out to keep the run on the board. It worked out even better here because Perez was so confused that he still threw to third base instead of getting Davis out.

Showalter told reporters after the game that he took the time to go over rules during Spring Training for situations like this. Backup catchers Tomas Nido alerted Davis to go from the dugout and he took off right away. It was certainly something baseball fans have rarely seen happen before.

The Mets are off to a hot start and currently sit atop the National League East with a record of 7-3. Showalter will look to keep the momentum going in a four-game series against the San Francisco Giants. New York is a -120 moneyline favorite on Monday night, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

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