Adrian Beltre sent Garrett Richards an invoice for breaking three of his bats
Until Saturday, we didn’t think there was anything Texas Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre hated just as much or more than another human being touching his head. However, it would appear there’s at least one other violation that falls into that category: Breaking his bat.
During Friday night’s game against the Los Angeles Angels, Beltre actually broke three bats during his encounters with Garrett Richards, who was making just his second major league start since last season’s gruesome knee injury.
The two veterans faced off three times, with Richards winning each battle decisively. Two came on routine ground outs, the third on a weak pop-up, and each came with a shattered piece of lumber.
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That’s not only a tough night at the park, that’s an expensive night for Beltre, who was forced to go deep in the reserve tank for Saturday’s game. But the cool part is Beltre was actually able to have some fun with his misfortune. Sometime on Saturday, he jokingly shipped a $300 invoice to Richards looking to have his bats replaced.
Here’s more from the Orange County Register’s Pedro Moura:
It was a real invoice, like Beltre went to an office-supply store and bought a pack of them or something. “Cash only, no checks,” he wrote above his signature.
Richards and teammate Mike Trout laughed about it, and Richards sent back a signed batting-practice bat, inscribing on it he hoped that covered his debt.
Beltre said it was the first time he had ever broken three bats in a game.
That’s some awesome stuff from Beltre. It would be quite easy for a guy who finished Friday’s game with a .175/.246/.333 battling line to go back to the hotel and drive himself crazy replaying every at-bat and every swing. Beltre, on the other hand, wanted to flip that around and drive Richards crazy for daring to make him crazy.
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Even better, Richards was in on the joke and had some fun with it as well.
It’s a reminder that baseball can still be played passionately and intensly without having to take everything personally. It’s still OK to joke with the opposition. It’s still OK to poke fun at yourself. It’s still OK to act like a kid sometimes and be silly.
It’s a fun job, after all, but it’s capable of driving you nuts if you let it.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
