Spring Training is usually a serene, relaxing time. Baseball is played out during sunny afternoons while veterans play a few innings then spend their afternoons "working out" (I assume that means margaritas by the pool) while youngsters try to impress their coaches and their front office.
But on Tuesday, a frightening element of chaos was thrown into the mix. His name: Yapson Gomez.
The Giants' reliever, who reached Double-A in the Indians' system last year, was brought into the fifth inning to face the Rangers. Quite frankly, I don't think anyone was ready for this delivery.
Let's see here: He starts off a with a bull-in-Bugs-Bunny-cartoon kick followed by the classic "I've got a wedgie and I'm in public" hop with an electric slide -- all while in a squat. (Dude's quads gotta be jacked.) He then rises up, bringing his glove above his head and -- to top the whole thing off -- even adds a hesitation in his leg kick as he delivers.
This is not a windup. This is a Fortnite dance gone wrong. This is your parents dancing at a wedding after one too many white wines. This is proof that the coding in our computer simulated reality has gone haywire.
It's also absolutely beautiful. In a world where every athletic endeavor is coded and tracked and teams are forever looking for maximum efficiency -- creating an army of hitting, pitching, running clones that have by-the-book mechanics -- it's refreshing to know that the weirdos are still out there. That there could be another Craig Counsell about to be drafted who also looks like he's reaching for something in the top cabinet while waiting to bat.
It also seemed to work. Gomez pitched a scoreless inning, striking out two.
And if you're wondering if there are any more players like him, well, just remember that Hans Crouse is out there in the Minor Leagues, too:
We wouldn't have it any other way. 😉 pic.twitter.com/3UDU2DP2lO
— Spokane Indians (@spokaneindians) March 13, 2019