Mic’d-up Whit Merrifield praises Royals’ Salvy Perez, talks strategy with Rusty Kuntz
Royals first baseman Hunter Dozier opened the second inning of Wednesday’s game against the Astros with a single, and teammate Whit Merrifield was fired up.
“Aw, sick,” Merrifield said as he wagged his index finger in the dugout. “Nobody no-hits the Royals. Nobody. Nobody.”
We knew this because Merrifield was wearing a microphone for the game, which the Astros won 6-5 in 10 innings, and he was quite entertaining.
In addition to giving shortstop Nicky Lopez a little ribbing after making a great catch, Merrifield was seen talking to first base coach Rusty Kuntz after being caught stealing.
Merrifield admitted he didn’t get a good jump but then suggested a better strategy for sliding into the bag.
The best part of the video was Merrifield’s comments about catcher Salvador Perez.
While he’s never been a player who frequently draws a base on balls, Perez has walked eight times this month. He’s also hit eight home runs.
In a jocular tone, Merrifield made a comparison to former Pirates/Giants outfielder Barry Bonds, baseball’s all-time leader in walks and home runs.
“It’s like Barry Bonds now,” Merrifield was heard saying, “he just walks and hits home runs.”
Merrifield turned serious and added: “Salvy is some kind of special, huh?”
This is a fun video:
