Johnny Damon is getting up there, playing out the sunset of his career with the Indians this season as they battle for first place in the AL Central. His bat has not been great, and his defense has been bad. But he's never been known for his prowess in the field, particularly when it comes to arm strength. Those witty Boston entrepreneurs hawking t-shirts outside Fenway were fond of the phrase "Looks like Jesus, throws like Mary."
And that's why his play in the top of the third inning on Wednesday was so surprising. Damon raced to the left field line to pick up a grounder from Albert Pujols and came up firing to second. Pujols had decided to try and stretch it out into a double only Damon hit second baseman Jason Kipnis on the fly in plenty of time. But Damon had already turned to talk to the fans along the line, telling them it was a poor throw and assuming the inning was continuing with Pujols on second. But thanks to the fans who had to clue him in, Damon was headed to the dugout with an assist. Quote after the jump:
Via Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer:
"The fan goes, "He's out,"" said Damon. "I go, "You're absolutely right." I had absolutely no clue after I threw the ball because I started talking to the fan. That's something I'll definitely remember.""
Check video of the play here.
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