You know my name: Christian Arroyo homered against Bronson Arroyo
Back when he was in high school, Christian Arroyo was quite aware that there was a Major Leaguer who shared his surname. Indeed, Bronson Arroyo was in the middle of his 14th season in the Majors, already with over 300 starts under his belt.
So when it became evident that the younger Arroyo had a baseball future, the thought stirred in his head of perhaps facing him one day. When the elder Arroyo made a comeback with the Reds this year and the younger Arroyo was called up by the Giants, it set the stage for Friday night in Cincinnati.
With one out in the second inning, the Arroyo Showdown finally happened. The Reds won the game, 13-3, but the kid won the matchup.
Although they aren't related, the Arroyos' ties go further than the name. The Florida natives share not only a surname, but the same education, as well.
Hernando High School represent!
They might be a full generation apart (the older Arroyo was drafted six days after the younger Arroyo was born), but now, this home run will connect them on a deeper level. It's not exactly three Garcias playing the outfield at the same time, but it's not every day that a player homers against someone with an identical last name, either.
It might not be unusual for common last names like Davis ...
... and Gomez.
There have only been five Arroyos in MLB history, though, and these two players are the only ones of the last 30 years. The unlikelihood of that name sharing a homer fits in much closer with
There is only one year's age difference between the Kendricks, but it took until Howie Kendrick's 10th season for them to finally meet. When they crossed paths at last on April 17, 2015, Howie connected for a blast.
The only question is if another Riddle will come along to pitch to J.T. Riddle. Then, we can finally see baseball's own version of the riddle contest.
