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Playing in just his second career Major League game, Rays rookie Richie Shaffer hit his first home run. But it’s what happened when he got back to the dugout that’s so memorable.
Shaffer’s teammates pulled a classic baseball prank, the silent treatment. That is, when a player hits a home run that is significant to their own career, the rest of the team ignores him and pretends like it is no big deal. The Rays took it a step further, with several players huddling in the middle of the dugout when Shaffer got back.
But Shaffer handled the situation perfectly, celebrating anyway.
So good.
“It was awesome,” Shaffer said after the game about the prank. “I knew they were going to do something. So I go in there and no one is looking at me or talking to me so I was giving out some fake high-fives and handshakes to everyone. They had the little ring going and I made my way in there and everybody was going nuts.”
The teammates did eventually break out of character and celebrated the big home run. Here is the full video.
