Doink! Mets benefit from Yastrzemski's throw that hits netting pole

NEW YORK -- Turns out foul poles aren’t the only poles in play at Major League ballparks.

In a bizarre play in the first inning of the Mets' 8-1 win over the Braves on Sunday afternoon at Citi Field, Atlanta outfielder Mike Yastrzemski committed an error when his throw from the left-field corner struck a stanchion holding up the protective netting down the left-field line. Though the pole was in foul ground, the ball bounced back into the field and remained live, which allowed an extra run to score.

There were two men on base when A.J. Ewing hit an RBI double off Bryce Elder into the left-field corner. Yastrzemski retrieved it and fired toward the cutoff man, but his throw struck the pole with such force that it skipped all the way back behind second base. By the time anyone could retrieve it, Jared Young was already home with New York’s third run in a four-run rally.

Though balls that strike foul poles have (illogically, at least linguistically speaking) been considered fair for decades, poles that hold up protective netting are a relatively new phenomenon. The Mets extended their netting down both foul lines in 2017 to protect fans from sharp foul balls. The poles were installed at that time to support it, though they almost never come into play during an actual game.