Monday night, Cleveland Guardians outfielder Will Brennan hit a line drive that killed a bird.
Tuesday, Brennan paid tribute to the fallen fowl in the best way possible, by hitting a home run in his honor.
Never mind the bizarre hand motions Brennan flashed in his intended bird tribute, which made him look as if he were carrying a baby as he rounded the bases. It’s the thought that counts, right?
First, for those fans who missed Monday’s unfortunate bird incident — the second bird killed by an MLB player in five days — here’s a flashback:
Cleveland's Will Brennan hit a bird with his line drive single.
"This one actually went by what looked like some sort of deceased animal at shortstop…"- Steve Stone
"They just scooped it out. Oh boy. Well that's too bad."- Jason Benetti pic.twitter.com/vayVs9MvEo
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 22, 2023
So in the third inning Tuesday, as Brennan stepped to the plate for the first time, he might have been thinking about the bird. Or maybe not.
Whatever his thought process, Brennan clubbed a home run off Chicago White Sox ace Dylan Cease. As he rounded the bases, he crossed his hands over his heart. Little did fans know it at the time, but he was paying tribute to the fallen bird.
In memory of 🐦#ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/CCBJz4NFvR
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) May 23, 2023
Brennan got a kick out of explaining his impromptu tribute after the game.
“So is that going to be your signature move now when you hit a home run?” a reporter asked.
“You know, you got to pay tribute to a fallen hero,” Brennan said. “That’s a little spur of the moment thing.”
“Did you get any grief for that?” another reporter asked.
“I got grief yesterday …”
"You have to pay tribute to a fallen hero."
Will Brennan dedicated his home run tonight to the bird. #ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/LQBUnbNBkV
— Bally Sports Cleveland (@BallySportsCLE) May 24, 2023
So it wasn’t exactly a moment reminiscent of the classic episode of The Office, where the staff held a full-blown funeral for a dead bird, but it was a nice tribute on Brennan’s part.
[Bally Sports Cleveland; Photo Credit: Cleveland Guardians]