The glove Matt Strahm was breaking in this week during his pregame work received a ton of compliments from his teammates because of the bright colors it featured. His response nearly every time?
“Thanks, my daughter made it.”
Featuring pink, purple and a rainbow pattern, Strahm’s glove was designed with a whole lot of love from his 5-year-old daughter, Wren, and he’s itching to bring it into a game at some point. Victus -- the bat company that has dived into glove-making recently, too -- allowed Wren to put all her favorite things on this glove for her dad. The rainbow pattern was key, and they embroidered Wren’s name in her handwriting on the outside part of the glove.
On the other side, what Strahm sees if he glances down as he comes set, are the words “Punch tickets Daddy."
“I get told this every day when we hang up FaceTime before the game,” Strahm said. “She tells me, ‘Good luck, and punch tickets, Daddy.’”
On the inside of the glove are the names of Strahm’s family. Strahm has a ton of gloves he can use from Victus, but this one has a special place in his heart.
“It just reminds you of the important things, no matter what happens out there,” Strahm said. “I’m a huge competitor. That’s how I was raised in my family. But after having my daughter, in this game, it doesn’t matter if I give up two runs and blew the lead or if I punched out the side -- I still go home and get the same welcome of, ‘Daddy, I missed you.’”