BOSTON (AP) Toronto first baseman Chris Colabello showed up at his locker the morning after getting beaned by Steven Wright to find a gift waiting for him from the Boston right-hander.
“Steven decided that he was going to send over a gift,” Colabello said, moving his clothes and uniform out of the way to show a large bottle of liquor sitting underneath.
“He didn’t have to,” he said Monday as he was getting ready for the annual Patriots’ Day game. “I’m sure that’s not cheap, too.”
On Sunday, Wright hit the infielder with an 87 mph fastball in the helmet, sending him to the ground. He sat on the ground for a while and was checked out by a trainer before getting up and trotting to first base.
Wright was visibly upset on the mound, took off his hat and chatted with Colabello when he made his way to first.
The last thing Colabello expected was a gift.
“He went above and beyond in my eyes,” he said. “It was pretty obvious there was no intent. You could see by his reaction.”
Colabello said the act of a pitcher sending a gift to a player after hitting him “happens more than people know. You build relationships with people.”
Now, the Blue Jays player wants to send a note back via his former teammate from last season, David Price.
“I’ve got to shoot a message to Price to tell him to say thank you,” Colabello said.
