Devin Mesoraco didn’t want to face Jim Johnson. He got his wish.
The Cincinnati Reds catcher had been on deck in as a pinch-hitter in the bottom of the ninth, and watched the Atlanta Braves closer throw the wild pitch that let the Reds tie the game. If the hitter ahead of him got aboard, Mesoraco would have a solid chance to drive in the winning run.
That hitter made an out, but Mesoraco entered the game nonetheless as a part of a double-switch. An inning later, he clubbed a solo homer off a 99-mile-per-hour pitch from right-hander Jose Ramirez to send the Reds to a 3-2 win in 10 innings on Friday at Great American Ball Park.