The return of Major League Baseball this week has been bizarre, with the empty stadiums and the positive coronavirus tests throughout the league. However, the best bit of weirdness to come from this MLB season has to be the cardboard fans in the crowds, particularly since players immediately started hitting them with home run balls.
First up, Atlanta Braves outfielder Adam Duvall hit a dinger to right field in the top of the second inning against the New York Mets, only to see the ball plunk a cardboard dog in the face. And not just any dog at that; that was Willow, Mets infielder Jeff McNeil’s pup. Oops.
Adam Duvall just blasted a dog in the face with a homer @MansplainBBpod pic.twitter.com/wXidgfx4j6
— Jomboy (@Jomboy_) July 25, 2020
Later on, Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith went yard to left field against the San Francisco Giants, and in the process nearly beheaded a cutout. In a nice twist, the fan whose face was on the cutout tweeted at Smith after the homer, leading to a wholesome exchange:
Sorry I took your head off 😂😂😂 shoot me a dm and I’ll hook it up for you
— Will Smith (@will_smith30) July 26, 2020
Given the strangeness of watching this MLB season with no fans while a pandemic rages, it’s nice to have the moments of levity, and they should only increase as more and more players plunk the cutouts with home runs and foul balls into the crowd. It might not have been an expected subplot before the season started, but two days in, the cutouts have already provided more entertainment than anyone could have expected.
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