New York Mets catcher Luis Torrens was responsible was charged with a fielding error in a bizarre play where he used his mask to help field a wild pitch during Wednesday night's game in Atlanta.
It happened in the bottom of the first with one out and Braves runners on second and third as they looked to increase their 1-0 lead. The 1-2 pitch from starter Paul Blackburn to Braves batter Marcell Ozuna was low and outside, bouncing in front of Torrens and off his chest protector.
Torrens was forced to chase the ball as it rolled away from him to hold the runners, so he took his mask off, but for some reason he held it with his right hand as he chased it. Since his glove was on his left hand, he used the mask to scoop it into his glove. Using his mask to touch the ball is illegal according to MLB rules, so the umpires called an error and allowed the runners to advance one base. As a result, Alex Verdugo was allowed to score to give the Braves a 2-0 lead, while Austin Riley was allowed to advance from second to third.
Runners advanced and a run scored in the Mets-Braves game because Luis Torrens touched the ball with his mask pic.twitter.com/KCO3yrw48o
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) June 18, 2025
We have seen strange incidents involving wild pitches before, but nothing like this. Normally catchers throw their mask off to field balls behind the plate. Not sure what Torrens was thinking here, but we'll be willing to bet he won't make that same mistake again.
Ozuna hit a sacrifice fly to score Riley from third and give the Braves a 3-0 lead. The Braves went on to win the game 5-0, with Blackburn taking the loss. The Mets have now lost five straight games, making some strange blunders during this streak, and their lead in the National League East is down to one game.
[@SNYtv via @JomboyMedia]
Moonlighting as a blogger to pursue my interest and enjoyment of sports. Former high school and Division I athlete (now a "retired" family man) that loves watching and discussing all sports. Follow me on Twitter (@HoldoutSports).
