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CINCINNATI (AP) — Josh VanMeter had just one thought when he suddenly realized the Pittsburgh Pirates needed him as a catcher.

“Pure panic,” he said.

Forced into an emergency role, VanMeter had a rough time Saturday when he moved from second base for his first try behind the plate since he was a teenager. The Cincinnati Reds took advantage to end a nine-game losing streak, beating the Pirates 9-2 in the opener of a doubleheader.

In the nightcap, Ke’Bryan Hayes hit a two-run homer and Yoshi Tsutsugo and Diego Castillo had back-to-back home runs as Pittsburgh won 8-5 for a split.

VanMeter did not play in the second game after his position switch in the first game.

“It’s part of the job. They asked me to do it, and I did it to the best of my ability. I didn’t feel too bad back there," VanMeter said.

“Hopefully, I won’t have to do it again,” he added.

Tyler Stephenson fouled a ball hard off VanMeter's mask, then hit a tiebreaking, bases-loaded double in the eighth inning that fueled a seven-run burst.

Pirates starting catcher Roberto Pérez was helped off the field with a left hamstring injury after falling while rounding second base in the top of the eighth of the opener. Backup catcher Andrew Knapp had been ejected by plate umpire Will Little in the bottom of the sixth for chirping from the dugout.

That left VanMeter as the Pirates' next best option behind the plate, so he traded his infielder's glove for a catcher's mitt.

It had been a while, too, for a player who's listed as a second baseman/outfielder.

“I think it was when I was 14 in summer ball, but they didn’t throw as hard and their stuff didn’t move like that," he said.

VanMeter quickly gathered the equipment he needed. He grabbed Knapp's gear, but wound up using...

CINCINNATI (AP) — Pittsburgh emergency catcher Josh VanMeter had a rough time in his first try behind the plate since he was a teenager, and the Cincinnati Reds took advantage to end a nine-game losing streak, beating the Pirates 9-2 Saturday in the opener of a doubleheader.

Tyler Stephenson fouled a ball hard off VanMeter's mask, then hit a tiebreaking, bases-loaded double in the eighth inning that fueled a seven-run burst.

Pirates starting catcher Roberto Pérez was helped off the field with a left hamstring injury after falling while rounding second base in the top of the eighth. Backup catcher Andrew Knapp had been ejected by plate umpire Will Little in the bottom of the sixth for chirping from the dugout.

That left VanMeter as the Pirates' next best option at the plate — recently, the second baseman/outfielder recalled the last time he caught was when he was 14 or 15 years old.

The 27-year-old VanMeter, who began his career with Cincinnati in 2019 and is in his first season with the Pirates, moved from second base to behind the plate to begin the eighth and did his best. He also showed how hard it is to be a catcher, even for a pro who has played most everywhere on the diamond.

Working with a new, inexperienced batterymate, Wil Crowe (1-2) hit Brandon Drury with a pitch and walked Tommy Pham and Mike Moustakas to start the eighth with no outs and the score 2-all.

Stephenson stepped up and fouled the first pitch directly back. VanMeter took off his mask for a moment to recover and Little went to the mound to give Crowe a new ball, giving the new catcher a break. Stephenson, the Cincinnati catcher, and VanMeter shared a few words in the interim.

With the count 0-2, VanMeter stabbed at three straight sliders near the zone but didn’t get any of the calls — perhaps...