Few players play for the fans more than Starling Marte. He interacts with a lot of players in right field and always has a good time.
However, those fans rarely reciprocate.
A boy caught Marte's attention late in Game 5 of the NLCS vs. the Dodgers, a 12-6 victory at Citi Field on Friday.
During warmups before the inning, Marte threw the ball to a young fan, who exchanged the ball for a necklace.
Marte wore it and kept it on when he came to bat in the eighth inning.
“In my next at-bat, I ended up getting a hit there,” Marte said of the eighth-inning RBI, through translator Alain Suriel. “I just kept looking at him. So I left it at that. But it was a really special moment.”
On this night, the lucky charm that Marte had been using for some time was also effective.
The right fielder hit three doubles, had three RBIs, and scored one run.
If this is Marte's last game at Citi Field this season, he provided one more moment for fans near right field.
“I usually start throwing balls to the fans in the bottom of the eighth inning because I want the kids to have some memories,” Marte said.
