Reds bat out of order in ninth

Dusty Baker, you're out of order. That was Mets manager Willie Randolph's message to his Reds counterpart in a very strange, and long, top of the ninth inning in the Mets' 8-3 victory yesterday at Shea.

[antiwilliefan]

If willie was right on it he would have waited untilpatterson saw 1 pitch and then went out there. What's the point of going out there before? To noot get the out?

[Jeff]

Willie was so wrong on this, it isn't funny.

He did absolutely no good, Ross was already out, all it meant was Patterson was now out and now Ross was the proper hitter (the eighth man in the order was out and the proper batter was the 9th man).

If a pitch had been thrown to Patterson, then Ross would have become the proper batter (the ninth batter) and now the proper batter should be the lead off man...so you continue to wait to see what Patterson does...if he gets a hit, you then appeal and the lead off man would be declared out and the 2nd man in the line up is now the batter with 2 out.

If Patterson makes out, you still wait...after a pitch is thrown obstensibly to the lead off man, Patterson would have become the proper batter, under the rules, and guess what, Ross should now be hitting which means if the lead off man gets a hit, then you appeal and that's the third out.

Willie, being the idiot he is, thought he could get 2 outs when he appealed....what a moron.