“It was one of the cool things that happened to me in my short playing career,” said Herrnberger, a former Diamondbacks’ minor leaguer.

The D-backs traded a catcher and called up another from Triple-A Reno, so Herrnberger was summoned from the lower levels to become Reno’s temporary backup. He sat on the bench for the first three games of what he knew would be a short Triple-A stint. The fourth game was a series finale in Tacoma, Wash. Herrnberger realized he wouldn’t play unless there was an emergency but was quietly hoping to get into a game, who knew if he’d ever reach Triple-A again?

“(Starting catcher) Carlos Corporan was lobbying our manager Brett Butler to get me an appearance. It would be tough to be there and not even get a game played,” Herrnberger said of his desire to get into a Triple-A box score.

With Reno trailing 9-2 in the ninth inning of the final game in Tacoma, Butler called upon Herrnberger to pinch hit for Corporan. Herrnberger laced a pitch to left-center field, ran past former MLB All-Star Mike Sweeney, who was playing first base for the Rainiers, and made it to second for a double and a lifetime 1.000 Triple-A batting average.

“It was a kids’ day game with eight or nine thousand fans in the stands, the biggest crowd I ever played for,” Herrnberger recalled.

He was sent to the Diamondbacks’ Short-Season Yakima, Wash. affiliate after Reno’s loss in Tacoma. He boarded a prop plane in Seattle with three seats per row and hopped off a half-hour later in Yakima, where the Bears had a home game that night. He pinch hit and popped out in Yakima’s 8-0 win over Eugene.

Joel Youngblood famously played for two major league teams in one day in 1982. Coincidentally, Youngblood worked with Herrnberger in 2010 as a Diamondbacks’ roving instructor.

Alex Herrnberger never reached the majors but the back of his baseball card is fascinating - 15 total games divided between five teams, including two of each in one day.

“It’s a fun story to tell people,” Herrnberger said.

Tim Hagerty is the broadcaster for the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas, and is on Twitter at @MinorsTeamNames. He is also the author of “Root for the Home Team: Minor League Baseball’s Most Off-the-Wall Team Names.”