What had been widely talked about and hoped for will finally come to fruition on Sunday in the regular season finale for the Detroit Tigers. According to manager Brad Ausmus, super utility infielder Andrew Romine will play all nine positions in the field on Sunday against the Minnesota Twins, “barring something strange.”
Andrew Romine just walked by wearing catcher's equipment heading to the bullpen. The dream of playing 9 positions in 1 game lives on.
— Johnny Kane (@JohnnyKaneBSD) September 27, 2017
It was a big topic of conversation roughly two weeks ago during the Tigers’ final homestand. Ausmus had originally presented the possibility of his versatile defender playing throughout the field in one game, so long as it was a scenario and situation where the outcome of the game itself was virtually irrelevant.
The biggest thing was doing it in a game that had little to no meaning. Some through the grape vine that is social media were disappointed when it didn’t happen during the Tigers’ seasn swan song at Comerica Park.
“He’s got the ability to play all nine positions,” said Tigers manager Brad Ausmus. “In games that don’t particularly matter, it might make the game a little more interesting.”
Now, it would appear that the spectacle, if you will, will take place at Target Field on Sunday.
The Minnesota Twins can lock up the second American League Wild Card spot on Wednesday with a win on the road against the Cleveland Indians, OR a loss from the Los Angeles Angels against the Chicago White Sox.
Assuming the Twins do clinch a playoff spot between now and the end of the season, they will be locked into a trip to the Bronx and play the New York Yankees on the Wild Card Game on Tuesday.
Romine will finally be scratching ‘catching duties’ off his list of positions to have played in the majors. The 31-year-old has appeared in every other position this season for the Tigers so far.
