Shoppach had a two-run homer and the New York Mets beat the Philadelphia Phillies 9-5 Tuesday night for their third straight victory.
Shoppach also hit a game tying double in the eighth and a single in his first at-bat to finish a triple shy of the cycle.
“I knew it when I hit it,” Shoppach said of his second homer in 22 at-bats with New York. “Coming to a league where I don’t have the luxury of having faced many of the pitchers, I can just look for something to hit.”
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Shoppach has hit 66 home runs in his major league career, 63 of them as a catcher, two as a pinch-hitter, and one as a designated hitter.
Shoppach’s career average of one home run every 22.0 at-bats as a catcher is the fourth-highest among active players with at least 1000 at-bats as a backstop. The top three are Mike Napoli (15.8), David Ross (20.5) and Brian McCann (22.0).
As we look toward finishing 2012 on a high note and also with an eye toward 2013, it seems we may have found our Opening Day catcher in Shoppach assuming the Mets see fit to sign him once this season ends.
