Mookie’s latest moment is a life-lasting one for another player
Mookie Betts took a glance at the big scoreboard at Great American Ballpark in the eighth inning on Saturday when Cincinnati Red TJ Friedl stepped inside the batter’s box for the first time in his Major League career.
Betts then tucked the memory in the back of his mind for one day.
In the bottom of the sixth inning on Sunday, Friedl hit the first pitch he saw from Tony Gonsolin into the seats in right field for his first career home run in his second career at-bat.
Betts, playing right field, recognized the moment immediately and motioned to the fan who caught the ball that he would exchange baseballs so that Friedl could have a life-lasting memento.
The fan threw Betts the ball, and Betts then did him one better. He gave him one of his bats with his autograph on it.
Betts remembered another memory after the game, explaining his action.
“Those interactions are kind of everlasting. One of the last times I spoke to Kobe (Bryant) he just reminded me by the time the game is over, leave somebody (happy), somebody knows who you are, somebody recognizes you,” Betts said.
“I wasn’t really doing it for cameras or anything. I was just doing it because (the fan) immediately threw the ball back and didn’t give even ask her anything.”
The cameras caught it, though.
“That’s just first-class. It’s incredible, just for him to do something like that is definitely just world-class of him,” Fredl said. “I want to go over there and just say thank you in person. … because it means so much. Just to get that ball back and for it to be my first home run. And just for him to know that and turn around to the fan, and I believe he traded a bat for it… it’s just incredible.”
“Chills, honestly for him to do that,” Friedl added.
