Indians stage unique pregame ritual to help Yan Gomes break slump
Desperate times call for desperate measures.
Mired in a season-long slump that had his slash line sitting at .163/.198/.310 heading into Saturday's game against the Twins, Cleveland Indians catcher Yan Gomes took a step into uncharted territory to help free himself from the clutches of tough luck and rediscover his production levels of earlier seasons.
Gomes and his Indians teammates performed a pregame ritual (dubbed an exorcism by those involved) that went beyond anyone's standards of convention.
It involved a store-bought chicken, a makeshift altar, a pinata, a rainbow-colored robe worn and a prayer of exorcism read by Mike Napoli, a white robe donned by Gomes, a bouquet of flowers, and lots of colorful capes, among other props.
Having trouble visualizing all of that? Thankfully, the social-media-savvy Jason Kipnis documented the proceedings on his Instagram and Twitter accounts.
Part 1: Sacrificial Ceremony for Yan Gomes! The Baseball Gods and Jobu have been very unkind to… https://t.co/oHzNr1vid9
— Jason Kipnis (@TheJK_Kid) July 16, 2016
Part 2: The Blessing https://t.co/7FGiXcj4rU
— Jason Kipnis (@TheJK_Kid) July 16, 2016
Part 3: The Sacrifice https://t.co/rL6iXVIbtu
— Jason Kipnis (@TheJK_Kid) July 16, 2016
The ritual was the collective brainchild of Chris Gimenez, Lonnie Chisenhall, Kipnis, and Napoli. Its success probably won't be known right away, however, since Gomes is not in Saturday's lineup. Whatever happens, though, it is awesome to see the Indians fully united behind and supportive of their starting catcher.
