“Mario Kart” tournaments have been tearing college roommates apart for years, but they’re bringing the Atlanta Braves together.
The Braves endured a 3-hour, 12-minute rain delay Tuesday before the seventh inning of their 6-5 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. But in the meantime, some of the guys — including Nick Markakis, Ender Inciarte, Sean Rodriguez, Jim Johnson and Jace Peterson — played “Mario Kart” on the SunTrust Park clubhouse’s Nintendo Switch, playing six races each before declaring a winner.
And that winner usually is Markakis, who plays as Princess Peach.
“The best in the clubhouse is definitely Nick Markakis, as he is phenomenal,” Braves pitcher Luke Jackson said, per MLB.com’s Jaylon Thompson. “(Pitcher Eric) O’Flaherty is pretty good, Ender is good and Sean Rodriguez is an actual solid sleeper pick. But Markakis is probably clubhouse champ.”
Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson called it a “unique team bonding experience,” while Markakis stressed the importance of doing activities with your teammates outside of the game.
“You’ve got to have some camaraderie in the clubhouse, and some fun other than baseball,” Markakis said. “We are here for one thing, and we realize that, but when you have downtime, you’ve got to have some things to do. It is just one of those things.”
We can’t help but wonder if the guys who lose to Markakis all the time feel the same way.
Thumbnail photo via Brett Davis/USA TODAY Sports Images
