The legend of Joey Votto grew with another charming fan interaction on Thursday.

The Reds, taking on the Cubs at Wrigley Field, got off to a shaky start, surrendering seven unanswered runs in the first three innings of the eventual 15-7 loss. That may have justifiably ruined the mood. Not the case for Votto, who remained upbeat enough to make a new friend while on deck in the top of the fourth.

As he's known to do, the Reds first baseman struck up a brief conversation with a young Cubs fan sitting in the front row, exchanging a fist bump before he took his second at-bat. He subsequently singled, driving in the Reds' first run of the night.

Because things could only get better for the Reds, the real action came a couple of innings later, when Votto crushed his sixth home run of the season off of Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks. After accepting congratulations from teammate Mike Moustakas, Votto went to high five his new buddy, and we're happy to report that the boy, team allegiances aside, was more than willing to join in on the celebration.

Just another heartwarming story of friendship overcoming a serious obstacle -- in this case, a National League rivalry older than Major League Baseball itself.