Andrew Romine Played All Nine Defensive Positions For A Cool Slice Of MLB History

Last night the Detroit Tigers did something cool: Manager Brad Ausmus moved utility man Andrew Romine around all nine defensive spots, including pitcher and catcher, making Romine just the fifth player in major league history to pull it off:

Romine did alright! He was charged with a passed ball that moved a runner into scoring position during his seventh-inning stint at catcher, but he was otherwise just fine, recording five put-outs, including a double-play and the first and last outs of the game. Apparently this was a plan that was in the works for some time, according to this ESPN report:

[Ausmus] decided two years ago that the versatile Romine might be able to play each position, but the opportunity didn’t present itself until Saturday night, with the Tigers eliminated from playoff contention and the Twins locked into the second AL wild card.

Ausmus was teammates with Shane Halter, the last guy to pull it off, which obviously put the idea into his mind. Because Saturday’s game was perfectly meaningless, it was also a perfect sandlot for just this kind of screwing around. Romine reportedly brought his family along to witness the cool event, which was not as appreciated by everyone involved:

“I’m not a huge fan of it,” [Twins manager Paul] Molitor said pregame. “I guess if your team’s in that position, then go ahead and let it fly. It’s not a big deal. ... I’m sure maybe it’s been on his bucket list for a while.”

Lighten up, Paul! What the hell else is going on in the second-to-last game of the season?