That went from awkward to awesome real quick.
Third baseman, Chase Headley, was traded from the Padres to the Yankees literally that day, and after snagging a last minute flight from Chicago (where the Padres were set to the play the Cubs), he didn’t get to the Bronx until 7:30pm. The game began at 7:00pm.
His lateness, while seemingly awkward for Headley, was amazing for viewers, who had the rare chance of getting to see a new player introduce himself to his teammates for the first time. It felt like the end of SNL when everyone just kinda mills about and hugs. I love that stuff.
My favorite part is how after he makes his way through the coaches, he arrives at the players. That’s the real test. You can see the sheer look of uncomfortableness across his face. He looks like he’s meekly asking, “hey… is this seat taken?”
Yeah, bro, it’s taken. We’re the Yankees. You can’t just stroll in here acting like you own the place. Go sit on the floor, you bitch.
But Headley quickly earns his stripes. After striking out in his first pinch hit at-bat in the 8th, grounding out in the 11th, and grounding out in the 12th, in the 14th with runners on the corners, he was able to plop one into the outfield for a walk-off RBI. The video warms my cold, dead heart.
[mlbvideo id=”34726907″ width=”400″ height=”224″ /]
Bet you benchwarmers will offer Headley a seat now.
[H/T Deadspin]