The lucky runner-up in Yasiel Puig's foundation sweepstakes was ... Joey Votto?
Throughout Spring Training,
Before the Reds' Friday night game against the Dodgers, Puig announced the winner. He also revealed the runner-up:
And the winners of the Wildhorse Children’s Foundation Sweepstakes are....#Reds #Puig #Votto #MLB pic.twitter.com/tuaeeQrXXf
— Jim Day (@JimDayTV) March 15, 2019
Wait, what? Puig was baffled too when he randomly pulled Votto's name from the entrants:
Votto doesn't have an impostor, though -- that really was him!
Congratulations to Joey Votto on being the runner-up in the Wild Horse Foundation Sweepstakes! He made a large donation and his name was randomly selected as a winner. 👏👏 pic.twitter.com/iSQdyZUm7Y
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) March 15, 2019
"I had it forwarded to me from a friend," Votto explained. "First of all, his energy is infectious, and I feel like he's doing great things with the Foundation.
"I tried to buy as many tickets as I could to come in first place."
Votto might have missed out on the grand prize, but did come away with some signed swag from Puig. (That he'll pass along to some other lucky Reds fans.) Plus, he got a photo with the man himself!
Votto will surely treasure this memory for a lifetime. Or at least until he sees Puig in the clubhouse again.
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.
