Miguel Cabrera gives bat, gloves to young trash talking Indians’ fan
It’s not often that a fan earns the respect of a rival player, particularly when that fan roots for a team in the same division. That was the case Tuesday, as Detroit Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera may have converted a young Cleveland Indians’ fan.
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It all started in the bottom of the fifth inning. Jason Kipnis fouled a ball down the first base line. The young Indians’ fan was able to make a play on the ball using only his cap.
After making the play, the fan decided to have some words with Cabrera. Miggy acknowledged the kid, said a few words back and even pounded his chest as if to say, “game recognize game.” Cabrera played along the entire time, even when the fan repeatedly pointed to his Indians hat.
The fan wasn’t so vocal during one of the next inning breaks. That’s because Cabrera walked over to him from the bench, and handed him a bat, another ball and a pair of batting gloves. At first, he seemed completely shocked by the event. He does appear to utter “thank you” at Cabrera once he was able to briefly collect himself during the exchange.
The fan was interviewed later in the contest, and explained the entire situation.
As the announcers noted during the event, Cabrera probably just made a fan for life out of that kid. No matter what team you root for, it doesn’t get much better than getting a bat, ball and gloves from one of the best players in the game.
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We have to give all parties credit here. The young fan made a fantastic catch, and had the guts to go after a rival player immediately. Miggy took it all stride, and enabled us to experience a really touching moment.
It’s moments like these that remind us why we love baseball so darn much.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
