MLB newbies reach milestones, of sorts
JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Boston Red Sox rookie Ryan Lavarnway collected his first MLB hit in a 7-1 drubbing of the Kansas City Royals on Friday, going 1/4 in the DH slot.
The rookie catcher hit an opposite-field single off Royals P Jeff Francis in the 5th inning (see video) and drew a walk off of P Nathan Adcock in the 9th.
He wasn’t the only Jewish newbie to reach a personal milestone Friday. Philadelphia Phillies reliever Michael Schwimer has yet to make his MLB pitching debut, but that didn’t stop him from earning the #3 spot on ESPN’s Not Top 10 Plays feature. Video footage of the 6’8″, 240-pound Schwimer (see screen grab, above) showed him walking onto the field wearing a pink feather boa, pink purse, and ” target=”_blank”>Hello Kitty backpack filled with sunflower seeds and other snacks for the Phillie’s bullpen staff, as tradition demands of the newest rookie reliever.
“Making espn not top 10 has always been a dream of mine,” the 25-year-old Tweeted.
Philly fans may wish Schwimer had taken the mound Friday. The team’s 4-2 lead vanished when reliever Ryan Madson gave up 6 runs in the bottom of the 9th inning, including a walk-off grand slam HR by 3B Ryan Zimmerman.
(That’s three players named “Ryan” in the game, if you’re counting.)
Lavarnway’s single and walk came after frustrating earlier at-bats, including two in which he ended two-out, bases-loaded rallies.
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