The Cleveland Indians all shaved their heads recently, but it wasn’t simply to start a new team-wide trend.
Cleveland utility man Mike Aviles’ 4-year-old daughter, Adriana, was diagnosed with leukemia earlier this month, so his teammates decided to chop off their locks to support her. Second baseman Jason Kipnis told The Plain Dealer it started with just a few guys but quickly spread, including coaches.
“It’s a team thing,” Kipnis said Wednesday. “It started with Mike’s daughter because of what she’s going through. Unfortunately, she’s going to be losing her hair soon from chemotherapy, and we all wanted to join in.”
Aviles, who played for the Boston Red Sox in 2011 and 2012, has two other daughters, one of which is Adriana’s twin. He missed eight games to be with his family, but Kipnis said he believes getting back to work has been good for his teammate.
“Mike is one of the best clubhouse guys there is in this entire league,” Kipnis told The Plain Dealer. “He’s been a great person and a great teammate. I think all the guys have done a good job of stepping up to make him feel welcomed and back at home and that nothing has changed.
“Numerous guys have told him that if he needs anything at anytime that they’ll be there for him. I think baseball has been a good distraction for him.”
Thumbnail photo via Ken Blaze/USA TODAY Sports Images
