Tito Speedo makes appearance as Reds rout Nats with cringe-worthy vibe
Cincinnati Reds bench coach Mike Napoli, the 44-year-old former catcher, is getting credit for the team's 15-run output after sporting lucky Speedo.
The Cincinnati Reds’ hitting flaws have been exposed on a near nightly basis during their early group funk. Then they took that exposure thing to another level in the final game of the series against the Washington Nationals this week. And if the 15 runs they scored in that 15-1 victory that game means anything, fans may need to shield their eyes by the time this team returns home for its next homestand.
“I’m trying to think how I want to say this correctly,” manager Terry Francona said when asked what was behind the season-high scoring outburst – just the second time they’ve scored in double digits all season. “We had good vibes going in today,” Francona said. “Nap broke out the Tito Speedo.
” That would be Nap as in Mike Napoli, the 44-year-old bench coach with the body of a former catcher. It seems Napoli donned the skimpy piece of underwear that catcher Tyler Stephenson presented to Francona as a gag gift in spring training – custom-made featuring a bunch of faces of Francona as a 1980s Reds player covering the undergarment from front to back. And he didn’t just parade around pregame to lighten the mood of a team that entered the game with an MLB-worst 2-10 record in May.
“It was the whole game,” Francona said. “Poor guy. ” Brace your cringe meter for what might be coming next after the Reds broke out for the big scoring binge on a 14-hit afternoon that included four home runs – two by JJ Bleday – and three doubles.