If anyone needs proof that catchers are wired differently than the rest of us, what happened with Travis d’Arnaud should be more than sufficient.
During his at-bat in the second inning of Tuesday’s game, Washington Nationals third baseman Maikel Franco hit a foul ball that caught the Atlanta Braves catcher in an unfortunate part of the body. While catchers are more vulnerable than most, that can happen to anyone. We’ve seen hitters hit the most painful of foul balls and base runners hit below the belt on errant throws and tags this season. But d’Arnaud did two things afterward that frankly, defy all logic.
One, shortly after the foul ball, he was laughing about the incident with some fans behind home plate.
Travis d'Arnaud gets hit in the jewels by a foul tip and interacts with a fan behind him. pic.twitter.com/5wD3LHWGSg
— Baseball GIFs (@gifs_baseball) June 14, 2022
Then came the real kicker.
After taking a foul ball to the groin in the bottom of the second inning, d’Arnaud couldn’t simply rest in the top of the third. He had an at-bat and one with men on base, no less. Even given the RBI opportunity that awaited, nobody would have blamed d’Arnaud for mailing the at-bat in. Instead, he did the exact opposite. d’Arnaud launched a 2-1 pitch over the wall for a three-run home run.
d'Arnaud clears the bases!#HyundaiHighlight pic.twitter.com/VJoFDfQbpv
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) June 15, 2022
Baseball fans were amazed at the sequence from the Atlanta backstop.
What a stud Travis d’Arnaud is. Took a foul ball off his man parts and then hits a 3 run bomb.
— Charlie Leissler (@CharlieLeissler) June 15, 2022
TRAVIS d’ARNAUD HITS BOMBS WITH SORE TESTICLES #ForTheA
— Piñky and the Braves (@ProudToBePinky) June 15, 2022
d'Arnaud got revenge on the ball for hitting him in the nuts. #atlantabraves #braves @gifs_baseball
— Ted Bracewell (@Tedakin) June 15, 2022
I love the baseball analysts chit chat & commiseration right after someone gets hit in the junk. Its always so awkward, amusing, & frequently funny. Side note: @Braves' Travis D'Arnaud must be made of steel. Any time he gets hit, he seems fine after .25 seconds.
— Jessie (@JustBeingJessFL) June 15, 2022
Who cares if you get hit in the goodies d’Arnaud will still take your deep!
— Olson Time (@OlsonTime28) June 15, 2022
Travis d’Arnaud is a madman
— IRISH ARE GOING TO OMAHA (@Chuck_039) June 15, 2022
Catchers are just a different breed.
[Baseball GIFs, Travis d’Arnaud]
