Big-league outfielders have heard it all when they’re on the road, particularly when they’re facing a hostile crowd like in New York.
But you almost never see a player handle heckling in the way that Reds outfielder Jesse Winker did on Friday.
While positioned in left field during Cincinnati’s game against the Mets, Winker noticed that one fan had an insulting sign that called him out by name (along with something pretty vulgar).
Winker neither ignored the fan nor took issue with the sign. Instead, Winker came out with a signed baseball the next inning and wrote a note for the fan. Here’s the video of the exchange (NSFW language in the captions).
Jesse Winker is such a character 😂 #MVP pic.twitter.com/ePmbocpp7u
— Joey Votto Still Bangs (@EvilJoeyVotto) July 31, 2021
And this was from the Mets broadcast:
Last night, Jesse Winker exchanged a fan's sign for an autographed ball: pic.twitter.com/QckuBaaCpD
— SNY (@SNYtv) August 1, 2021
Winker signed the ball in exchange for the sign. He’s apparently collecting signs this season.
On the ball, Winker wrote:
“Loved the sign! I’m collecting them this year. Thanks for coming out to the game. Happy fans are back!”
Well done, Jesse. That’s how you turn a heckler into a fan.
