Jeff McNeil was so determined to adopt a puppy that he homered to prove a point to his wife
The Mets held an adoption clinic prior to their Friday night game against the Pirates. The North Shore Animal League brought a wonderful group of furry friends seeking a home, and one puppy turned out to be a huge hit with Jeff McNeil.
The All-Star was so taken by the little guy that he interrupted his batting practice session to talk to his wife, Tatiana, about adopting him.
Here’s Jeff McNeil, the major league leader in batting average, taking a break during batting practice to FaceTime his wife because he wants to adopt one of the rescued puppies at Citi Field today. pic.twitter.com/jUSpowTLQ8
— Tim Healey (@timbhealey) July 26, 2019
Tatiana wasn't sure about it and said that they would need a little time to decide. (How she was not convinced by this adorable image alone, I will never know.)
So, McNeil decided to make his case in the game. In the bottom of the third, he crushed a three-run blast off Dario Agrazal to put the Mets in front:
Coincidence that McNeil did this after holding a puppy? The infielder didn't think so:
Holding a puppy before the game is scientifically proven to increase home runs...
— Cut4 (@Cut4) July 27, 2019
...right @JeffMcNeil805?
pic.twitter.com/y3F3rcnJB0
It's promising that the McNeils will be seeing the puppy on Saturday! There might be hope yet.
All I'm saying is that McNeil isn't wrong. The strength to hit homers might very well come from holding dogs. He needs the little guy to help boost his performance even higher. It's only the noble thing to do. For the pup, of course.
PUPDATE: Jeff McNeil insists the reason why he hit a home run tonight is because he held a puppy earlier in the day. He said if his wife wants him to hit more home runs going forward, she should agree to adopt the puppy.
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) July 27, 2019
"It's not about me," McNeil said. "It's about the puppy."
As McNeil mused, "How could you not be happy with a puppy in your hands?"
i mean pic.twitter.com/4SN4m7YKPn
— Cut4 (@Cut4) July 27, 2019
Point taken. I'm happy just looking at this.
Andrew Mearns is a writer for Cut4 whose baseball obsession was born from the shattered dreams of Mike Mussina's perfect game attempt in 2001. He has a startling memory of World Series highlights that barely functions as a party trick.
