Even with the possibility of potential trades looming over the Chicago Cubs, shortstop Javier Báez gave fans an incredible moment with his walk-off single against the Cincinnati Reds on Monday night.
Báez, who didn’t start the game as he deals with soreness in his heel, was called into the game as a pinch-hitter with one out and the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning, and the Reds called in pitcher Amir Garrett to face him.
Needless to say, there is real history between Báez and Garrett. In a 2019 game, Garrett celebrated striking the Cubs’ shortstop out, and the two ended up screaming at each other, forcing the benches to clear.
Earlier this year, Garrett celebrated striking out Anthony Rizzo in a game between the two teams, and Báez ended up coming out of the dugout and screaming at the hurler, once again forcing the teams to meet on the field for some friendly conversation.
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Before Monday’s at-bat, Báez and Garrett were shown on the broadcast yelling at each other, and on the very first pitch of the at-bat, Báez called ballgame:
Báez strutted down the line after hitting the game-winning single, mimicking a rowing boat motion and taunting Garrett. The Reds’ reliever didn’t take kindly to the trash-talk, yelling back at Báez and repeatedly stepping out of the dugout as the Cubs celebrated on the field.
We’ll see what the rest of the series holds between the two players, as the teams will renew acquaintances on Tuesday.
