Refusing to let it suffer the shame of falling off, Hanley Ramirez carried his helmet to third base
In many ways, Hanley Ramirez is one of the most entertaining players in the game. From trying to distract teammates during TV interviews to trying fake hidden-ball tricks with unsuspecting baserunners, he definitely has some fun out there on the field.
Sometimes, his helmet pays the price for the exuberance with which he plays, like when he swings so hard on home runs it literally pops off and falls to the ground. It happens so frequently, he even has his own highlight reel of this phenomenon -- sometimes on offense, sometimes on defense:
Acutely aware of this possibility, Ramirez didn't let it happen in Sunday's game with the Twins, ultimately won by Minnesota, 7-4, in 10 innings.
After stealing second base and preparing to head to third on an errant throw in the eighth, Ramirez actually prevented the helmet from flying off (like it probably would), clutching it to his chest and more or less running with it like a running back on an end-around all the way to third base:
That helmet goes through a lot on a regular basis, so it's great to see him spare it from the ignominy of colliding with the infield dirt this time around.
The helmet had nothing to report postgame, but here are a few reactions from the world of Twitter:
Future #RedSox promotion: Enter a drawing for Hanley Ramirez to carry your child around the bases.
— Pete Abraham (@PeteAbe) June 12, 2016
Hatless Hanley https://t.co/ALjyFgRFIG
— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) June 12, 2016
Hanley Ramirez carrying his helmet to third base is going to be the gif that keeps on giving.
— Jason Mastrodonato (@JMastrodonato) June 12, 2016
Is Hanley a baserunner or a running back in the open field? You decide.https://t.co/HyavupeLhJ
— Scott Lauber (@ScottLauber) June 12, 2016