Rays reliever Pete Fairbanks gives himself black eye by dunking on his 3-year-old son
Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Pete Fairbanks tried to teach his son a lesson. Instead, it was the reliever who learned something: Don’t dunk on a 3-year-old.
Fairbanks recently returned from the IL with a black eye. But this wasn’t an injury the pitcher suffered during a game or even warm-ups. Rather, the reliever got a little too aggressive with a basketball hoop in the pool while dunking on his toddler.
Prior to Thursday’s game, Fairbanks detailed what happened while speaking with reporters.
“So, we were playing at our new house in the pool and I pulled the basketball hoop down onto my face after dunking on a 3-year-old,” Fairbanks told reporters. “You know, try to teach him an early lesson in life, when you’re in the paint you can’t be caught unaware underneath the rim. Did that end up with me (having) a black eye? Yes.
“My wife has been making fun of me about it, as has pretty much everybody here. So, it’s been a good past five days or whatever.”
Hey, at least Fairbanks didn’t attempt to hide from his embarrassment, right? He could’ve easily made up some other story to make himself sound better. Instead, he opted for honesty.
Maybe his 3-year-old did learn a valuable lesson, after all. Even if it’s embarrassing, it’s always better to be honest. And also, try to avoid dunking on a toddler in an effort to prove a point. It may not go the way you expect.
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Pete Fairbanks enjoying strong season with Rays
Fairbanks is in the middle of his fifth season in Tampa Bay and continues to enjoy strong success on the mound. Well, when he’s not dealing with a black eye, of course.
This season, the reliever has appeared in 13 games and pitched 11.2 innings. He’s struck out 10 batters and given up just eight hits and two earned runs. He owns a 1.54 ERA.
Fairbanks has an 0-1 record but has registered five saves for the Rays this season.
Thanks to one of the hottest starts in MLB history, Tampa Bay owns the best record in baseball in mid-June. The Rays could be on pace for a historic year, though there’s still a lot of baseball remaining on the schedule.
Earlier this week, the Rays made the trip to Oakland for a series with the Athletics. More than 27,000 fans showed up for a weekday game in a “reverse boycott” over the organization’s constant threats to move the team to Las Vegas.