Down five in the ninth inning to the Mets, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts didn’t want to waste any more of his relievers, so he sent outfielder Zach McKinstry in to pitch. However, that is not allowed.
By rule, a team must be down by at least six runs to use a position player as a pitcher. Mets manager Buck Showalter caught it before McKinstry threw a pitch, and after checking with the replay review center, the umpires forced Roberts to bring in a regular pitcher.
The umpires allowed new pitcher Evan Phillips to warm up in the bullpen, something that doesn’t usually happen when a manager has to bring in a cold pitcher for non-injury reasons.