Houston Astros starting pitcher Dallas Keuchel had the day off Thursday night from everything but engaging with hecklers.
Keuchel took a page out of Cincinnati Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips’ playbook, and sent a chatty fan home with a souvenir. With the Astros taking on the Athletics in Oakland on Thursday night, Keuchel had heard enough from one heckler during his team’s 13-1 loss, so he decided to get the last laugh, by thanking the fan for paying his salary.
[tweet https://twitter.com/nickw888/statuses/492193188354859008 align=’center’]
While the comeback was solid, it was made all the sweeter with Keuchel opting to sign a heart before his jersey number. That might be a major league first.
Coincidentally, Keuchel actually is having a pretty good season. The left-hander is 9-6 with a 3.29 ERA and is tied for the league lead with three complete games. However, a good season hasn’t really stopped hecklers before.