The Cubs’ 7-1 win over the Pirates in Williamsport, Penn., on Sunday night wasn’t the tightest of ballgames, but the Little Leaguers in attendance had fun all the way through the end. In the ninth inning, with the game far out of reach and Craig Kimbrel on just to get some reps after coming off the IL, some kids in the ballpark—most notably the players from Eastbank (La.) behind the plate—had a good time mocking his pre-pitch stance.
Twelve-year-old boys can be extremely scary, and Kimbrel showed some nerves in the face of tween teasing. His very first pitch left the ballpark to give the Pirates their first run of the game, and the next batter he faced took a wild pitch to the leg. Still, the Cubs reliever recovered for a pair of strikeouts before he left the game, and in doing so surely exorcized any long-repressed middle-school demons that might have been lingering in the seven-time all-star’s psyche.