There’s A New (Mustachioed) Captain in SF…
So it’s been about a week since Brandon “The Alpha” Belt declared himself the captain of the San Francisco Giants, and things really could not have gone better in the bay.
Since that anointment on Sept. 10, Belt has slashed .379/.486/1.000 with 5 HR and 11 RBIs and the Giants have gone 6 – 2. He may no longer be wearing that electrical tape “C” on his jersey, but every Giants fan knows it’s still there in spirit.
In fact, on Friday we saw one Giants fan who channeled Belt’s electric energy make one of the best catches we’ve seen in a while.
The fan who caught Brandon Belt's game tying two-run homer is rocking the Captain's "C" 😂 pic.twitter.com/Gjgk95oVQW
— KNBR (@KNBR) September 18, 2021
What are the odds of that connection? The captain slashing a blast to a fellow captain in the stands.
But did you catch see the air that fan got on the grab?
https://gfycat.com/palebackjohndory
And this is just after a different fan made another highlight reel catch from foul territory on a Belt home run.
The Giants are having their best season since 1954, and even the fans are playing out of their mind.
Brandon Belt homered AND A FAN WITH A TAPED-ON CAPTAIN'S 'C' GOT THE BALL! pic.twitter.com/AMnJ675rIV
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) September 18, 2021
Tony Kemp’s WWE Audition
The art of selling is a very underrated skill. For the wrestling fans out there, you know exactly what I’m talking about. From Dolph Ziggler to The Rock, a great seller can elevate any show they are in.
Rarely do we see that happen on a baseball field. Sure, maybe Derek Jeter experimented with it sometimes. On Friday, Tony Kemp decided to show off his phenomenal selling skills to hopefully earn a WWE contract down the line.
We’ve already seen that Kemp is able to knock out a cartwheel into a backflip during his pregame stretching.
But yesterday, he did something revolutionary. A simple ground ball was hit his way in the bottom of the ninth. And yet it seemed to catch the lip of the infield grass, causing an unexpected ricochet. Like a tornado, the ball rapidly rode up on Kemp and flipped him all around.
Is Tony Kemp auditioning for an action movie roll? pic.twitter.com/qM0MgroNiP
— Shortest Stop (@ShortestStop) September 18, 2021
How did a five-ounce baseball traveling 109.8 MPH send a 160-pound man into a whirlwind?
Physics, I guess.
Taijuan Walker’s Soccer Audition
Meanwhile, in New York, Taijuan Walker was doing his best Paul O’Neill impression with his elite ball-handling skills.
Jean Segura smacked an 85 MPH rocket right up the middle, but look at this perfect deflection.
.@tai_walker kicks one to @lindor12bc. pic.twitter.com/jdcDk0TJq0
— New York Mets (@Mets) September 18, 2021
That was destined to be a single, especially with Segura’s speed. But an absolutely perfect deflection from Walker is as smooth of a play you’ll ever see.
The Rain is Brought Back to Toronto
Every fan appreciates the hometown return of a team legend. One of my earliest baseball memories involves Tino Martinez’s return to Yankee Stadium, where the hometown crowd showered him with applause as the then-Cardinal slugger clubbed two home runs.
We recently saw this happen with Albert Pujols‘ return to St. Louis, where he also knocked a home run in front of a roaring crowd.
And yesterday, Josh Donaldson returned to Toronto.
During his time abroad, Donaldson was one of baseball’s best hitters. In his three healthy seasons from 2015 to 2017, he had the second-most fWAR (21.5) only behind Mike Trout and won the 2015 AL MVP as the team made it to the ALCS in back-to-back seasons.
In fact, by fWAR Donaldson is a top-ten hitter in Blue Jays history, and everyone ahead of him played twice as many games with the team.
So Toronto fans were happy to welcome the Bringer of Rain back.
Josh Donaldson receives a standing ovation from @BlueJays fans as he steps onto the plate at the Rogers Centre for the first time this series. 💙@BringerOfRain20 | #BlueJaysOnSN pic.twitter.com/iJoQW6lfNT
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) September 17, 2021
Gotta love these super wholesome moments.
But this highlight wouldn’t be complete without a big, climactic home run by the fan-favorite that send the crowd into a frenzy!
WE HAVE ALWAYS LOVED JOSH DONALDSON IDK WHAT YOURE TALKING ABOUT pic.twitter.com/blqF3rIqdb
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) September 18, 2021
Dead silence.
Okay, that was not nearly as warmly received as I expected. But in a heated race like that for the AL Wild Card, every run counts.
Your Friday Fashion Highlight
The cleat game never sleeps.
Check out this fire footwear by Jose Trevino in honor of Mexican Heritage Month.
.@HipHipJose5 is reppin' on Mexican Heritage Night. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/rwKBg2mSqc
— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) September 18, 2021
Every part of that design is sick, from the sombrero over No. 23 to the super clean Día De Los Muertos section.
I. Need. Those.
Photo by Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns of Twitter)