GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- The holidays have brought out the best this spring in Brewers second baseman Scooter Gennett.
Ten days after he finished a triple shy of the cycle in a St. Patrick's Day game against the Rangers, Gennett hit a pair of home runs in the Brewers' Easter Sunday loss to the Indians at Goodyear Ballpark. It was the second half of a workday doubleheader; Gennett had starred as the Easter Bunny during a morning egg hunt for his teammates' children.
"I'll wear that costume every day if it has knocks in it," Gennett said.

An unnamed veteran teammate nominated Gennett for bunny duty. The costume was waiting at his locker when Gennett arrived at Maryvale Baseball Park on Sunday morning.

"It was a lot of fun," Gennett said. "At first, when I heard I was the Easter Bunny, I was like, 'Oh my gosh, here we go.' But being the smallest guy, being a young guy, this is a role I have to play. It was fun seeing the kids' smiles. They wanted to hug me and that kind of stuff.
"I found myself smiling for pictures, which was weird, because I had a mascot head on."

Easter Sunday has a special place in Brewers history. On April 19, 1987, Rob Deer hit a tying, three- run home run in the ninth inning and Dale Sveum followed three batters later with a two-out, two-run shot as the Brewers beat the Rangers, 6-4, and sent County Stadium into a frenzy. The homers boosted the Brewers to 12-0 on the way to an American League-record 13 consecutive victories to start the season.
Next Easter will mark the 30th anniversary of that afternoon.

That's ancient history to 25-year-old Gennett, who was still smiling after shedding his bunny mask and belting his second and third home runs of the Cactus League. He got a late start in spring games because of a sore throwing shoulder, and did not debut until serving as the designated hitter for that St. Patrick's Day game against the Rangers. He is 10-for-20 at the plate this spring.
"I feel comfortable in the box and for the most part, I'm swinging at good pitches," Gennett said. "That's the key for me. As long as I'm swinging at good pitches and not throwing away at-bats, that's a good sign."
So, bring on Memorial Day. The Brewers host the Cardinals on May 30.