First steal snatched from Braves rookie Gattis
Scoring change removes milestone, but young catcher OK with decision
ATLANTA -- For about half an hour on Tuesday night, Evan Gattis thought he had his first Major League steal.
After lacing a single to right field in the bottom of the second inning, the 6-foot-4, 230-pound Gattis took off for second base and slid in safely after a pitch in the dirt from starter Carlos Torres eluded Mets catcher Travis d'Arnaud and rolled a few feet in front of home plate. The play was initially ruled a stolen base, but the official scoring was changed a few innings later to a wild pitch.
Though Gattis was disappointed, he was able to understand and appreciate the scoring change from a catcher's perspective, having split his time behind the plate and in left field for Atlanta this year. The popular Atlanta rookie recorded a total of four steals in the Braves' Minor League system in 2011 and '12.