Photo: The Canadian Press
NEW YORK (AP) — Banker-turned-reliever Nate Fisher found out the hard way Monday that baseball really is a numbers game.
A day after a sparkling major league debut that brightened the sports world, Fisher was cut by the New York Mets.
The NL East leaders made the move heading into the two-game Subway Series against the New York Yankees. In fact, Fisher was actually in the Mets’ clubhouse at Yankee Stadium two hours before game time, then was designated for assignment.
Now completely off the 40-man roster, Fisher could be traded or placed on waivers during a seven-day period. If unclaimed, he could be assigned straight back to the minors with the Mets.
The move came while many were still reveling in the sheer improbability of Fisher’s path.
On Sunday, the 26-year-old lefty who had once given up his hopes of a baseball career for a job in the financial world dazzled in his debut.
Fisher threw three scoreless innings of one-hit relief to give the Mets a chance in a game they eventually won 10-9 over the Phillies.
From determining whether to approve commercial loans at the First National Bank of Omaha in Nebraska in June 2021 to pitching a pennant race at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia in 2022.
“It’s pretty surreal right now,” Fisher said after the game. “I’m so thankful and so blessed for the opportunity. It hasn’t even sunk in yet.”
Fisher gave up one hit, walked two and struck out one. His outing spanned a 46-minute rain delay, making his work even more valuable.
When he was introduced and made his way to the mound to begin the fifth inning, the fans weren’t the only ones wondering about this newcomer.
“I didn’t even know who this guy was when he came into the game today,” said Mark Canha, who hit two home runs in the win.
But going into these matchups against the Yankees, Fisher likely wouldn’t have been able to pitch after his long outing. And with the Mets needing fresh arms, he was let go.
Fisher wasn’t drafted out of the University of Nebraska, then pitched 12 games at Single-A for the Seattle Mariners organization in 2019.
In the wake of COVID-19 uncertainty, Fisher left baseball and joined a former coach in the banking world in 2020 in his hometown. He re-signed with the Mariners last summer and reached Triple-A.
This year in the Mets system, Fisher was 0-1 with a 3.77 ERA in 12 games at Double-A Binghamton and 1-2 with a 3.12 ERA in 12 games at Triple-A Syracuse before his call-up prior to Sunday’s game.
And hours later, he was on the mound.
“This is my dream,” he said after that outing — for now, his only big league appearance.
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