Bat Rattler!

Esposito, the old White Sox player, who backed up Aparicio and Fox from the bench, recalls this one that involves a kid, a rookie catcher with the Tigers who had been working in the bullpen, a benchwarmer, and in the late innings as the game was winding down, he comes in and sits in his favorite place on the bench in the back corner of the dugout.

Detroit is hitting, and Bucky Harris is the manager, and he’s leaning on the railing, up on the top step of the dugout, his arms crossed contemplating a pinch-hitting move and trying to decide who to send up to the plate to hit for the pitcher Garver.

It’s church quiet, and all of a sudden from the corner of the dugout comes this varoom!  A boomer of a fart rattles the dugout wall. Harris wheels around and hollers, “Who did that?” And this little rookie benchwarmer, scared to death, says, “I did, Skip!”  And Harris says, “That was great; grab a bat. You’re hitting for Garver!”