Callaway says Wheeler, Amazin’ hurlers can override shift at any time

After Zack Wheeler made his pitch Monday and got what he wanted, a soft-contact pop to left, he was pumped.

But that excitement lasted about as long as it takes for the guy behind you to honk his horn when the light changes from red to green. Because the Mets were playing a shift against a lefty, a seemingly harmless bloop be- came an RBI double that ultimately cost Wheeler and the Mets a win.

Wheeler let his frustration be known.

“Somebody should have been there if they’re playing normal positions,” Wheeler said of the play on which he surrendered the only run against him in seven innings. “I was beating them all night with the fastball. I got in there and it cost me a run. You give and take. It’s part of today’s game and got to deal with it.”

Yep, part of today’s game. But according to manager Mickey Callaway, the pitchers can override shifting but rarely do. Callaway said the staff meets with the pitchers to discuss the pros and cons.

And there are pros. According to Callaway, “when we shift when Wheeler’s pitching the opponents hit 100 points less and when you do it to the league they hit about 60 points less, so you have to pick the right spots.”

Some pitchers feel the right spots are in the 36th inning and later.

“We want them to feel comfortable with whatever’s going on. That’s why … we often remind them, ‘Hey we’re going to line these guys up a certain way,’ ” Callaway said. “We even tell them before their start so they have the

opportunity to say, ‘No, I’m really not comfortable with you shifting this guy.’ ”

Things can always change. A batter’s swing can override the best laid plans of mice and men and managers.

“It’s up to the players to adjust to how the guy’s swinging or the pitcher to adjust and say, ‘Hey, I’m going to pitch him this way and you should shade him over that way,’ Callaway said. “We want to make sure they always understand we’re going to have their back and we want them to feel comfortable.”

Suffice to say Wheeler wasn’t overly comfy Monday when the Giants won 2-1 in 13 innings. But even Callaway said the pitchers “rarely talk or want you to change.” And it’s not just with the Mets.

“Everywhere I’ve been, we’ve always given them the option to change the infielder,” Callaway said.

And naturally, the ball where everybody ain’t is the one everyone notices.

“Everybody just naturally goes to the one play that looks a little different. If we weren’t shifting and they hit a ball through the 3-4 hole, you would never say anything,” Callaway said. “So you don’t really focus on all the ones that are saved throughout the year, but you definitely focus on the one that doesn’t.”