CLEVELAND — Guardians outfielder Petey Halpin hit the first home run of his career, and hitting coach Grant Fink knew what was coming once the rookie returned to the dugout.
It’s not often anyone welcomes a slap to the face, but this circumstance fit that bill.
For the last month or so, as mostly a joke, Fink has slapped Halpin before games to sort of get him ready, in a sense, and wake him up a bit. It reached a point that Halpin joked that once he hit his first career home run, he’d slap Fink back.
“We’ve talked about it a bunch of times and he was like, ‘Go for it, I’d love to see it,’” Halpin said with a smile. “Every time he hit me, I’m like, ‘My home run’s coming.’ He’s like, ‘I want you to.’”
So as Halpin rounded the bases after his first home run in the second inning of the Guardians’ 13-4 win over the Minnesota Twins on July 20, Fink was getting ready for his end of the bargain in the dugout. The piper must be paid.
#Guardians
It’s not often anyone welcomes a slap to the face, but this circumstance fit that bill.
For the last month or so, as mostly a joke, Fink has slapped Halpin before games to sort of get him ready, in a sense, and wake him up a bit. It reached a point that Halpin joked that once he hit his first career home run, he’d slap Fink back.
“We’ve talked about it a bunch of times and he was like, ‘Go for it, I’d love to see it,’” Halpin said with a smile. “Every time he hit me, I’m like, ‘My home run’s coming.’ He’s like, ‘I want you to.’”
So as Halpin rounded the bases after his first home run in the second inning of the Guardians’ 13-4 win over the Minnesota Twins on July 20, Fink was getting ready for his end of the bargain in the dugout. The piper must be paid.
#Guardians
12 days ago
