A Chicago Cubs fan, who jumped the fence to celebrate with Jake Arrieta after the righty pitched a no-hitter in Cincinnati, calls the experience “worth every penny.”
“I planned my route,” the 22-year-old Indiana University student explained. “I accepted the fact that I was going to jail that night but I thought it would be worth it.”
Cressy says he gave his wallet and cell phone to a friend sitting with him, hopped the barrier, and managed to pat Arrieta on the head in the scrum. Video of the incident shows a smiling Cressy, dressed in Cubs gear, dragged away by the police.
The Chicago Cubs pitcher struck out six and walked four in a 16-0 blowout no-hitter on Thursday night at Cincinnati’s Great American Ball Park. The no-no follows another last season and comes in the midst of a stretch since last year’s All-Star break in which the 2015 Cy Young Award winner has allowed just 12 runs in 129 1/3 innings pitched.
“When I first got the call that he was in jail, I wasn’t too pleased,” Cressy’s father Michael told the Chicago Tribune. “But when I found out what it was about, I was proud. It took some guts.”
The apple who doesn’t fall too far from the tree notes on his Facebook page that he laughs uncontrollably at inappropriate times and prefaces statements of import with the word “dude” to emphasize the gravity of the situation. The court appearance should be fun.
Speaking of which, a good lawyer should encourage the lad to plead not guilty by reason of the seventies. Any number of YouTube clips (Disco Demolition Night, Ten Cent Beer Night) might serve as Exhibit B. But Reggie Jackson navigating, and knocking over, a gauntlet of fans in the Bronx after winning the 1977 World Series surely acts as Exhibit A.