Josh Donaldson used reverse psychology to get good luck from a Mets fan before a homer
Finding anyone at Citi Field who is pulling for the Braves to win is always going to be a tough task, especially with the teams fighting for postseason contention. The fan support just wasn't going to be nearby for Josh Donaldson. But that didn't mean he would refuse to try.
In the top of the second, Donaldson talked to a couple Mets fans behind home plate who were talking smack. As explained by FOX Sports reporter Kelsey Wingert, Donaldson asked if one of them would touch his bat for good luck before he faced Steven Matz. They said that they would only wish him ill.
.@BringerOfRain20 gave an autographed bat to a Mets fan near the on-deck circle. @KelsWingert explains why: pic.twitter.com/SQU3kJxGS5
— FOX Sports: Braves (@FOXSportsBraves) August 25, 2019
Well, it turns out that Donaldson may have been using some reverse pyschology to get them to touch the bat in any form, regardless of their intentions. A charm is a charm, and not everything works out the way you hope.
It sure seemed like Donaldson had a little luck on his side for the at-bat because the wind at Citi Field gave him an assist on his subsequent long ball to left field.
Mother Nature and Lady Luck were clearly on Donaldson's side.
Normally, contact like that doesn't result in a dinger. That homer just barely cleared the 335-foot sign down the left-field line, and given how high in the air Donaldson hit the ball, it only had an expected batting average of .120. His fortune was made even more apparent when a nearly identical drive by the Mets' J.D. Davis in the fourth fell just shy of the wall at the warning track.
A homer is a homer, though, and Donaldson was gleeful as he passed by those fans again on the way back to the Braves' dugout. They turned down his request for a high-five, but that didn't stop the grateful Donaldson from giving one of them an autographed bat that he signed, "To my biggest fan."
For Donaldson, it was all in good fun. ˇ°I feel thatˇŻs what being a Major Leaguer is about," he said. "I like to interact with the fans on the road and at home. But sometimes, itˇŻs more fun to do it on the road because they donˇŻt really want you to have success."
Donaldson didn't need any help on his second homer of the game, which soared 421 feet to the opposite field:
It's one thing to troll opposing fans, but give Donaldson credit for adding his own spin on the shenanigans. Even if those Mets fans don't like him, they have to respect the hustle.
