ATLANTA (AP) — Braves manager Brian Snitker usually sends bench coach Walt Weiss out with the lineup card to the umpires at home plate, but he wanted to do it himself before his team beat Houston 2-0 to win the first World Series game in Atlanta since 1999.
What Snitker didn’t know was that Astros manager Dusty Baker saw him coming out of the Braves’ dugout and decided to send Snitker’s son, Troy, with Houston’s lineup. Troy Snitker is the Astros’ co-hitting coach.
“I loved that,” Brian Snitker told The Associated Press. “I didn’t even realize Troy was going to do it. Because it was the first World Series game, I was like, ‘I’m going to take it out.’
"I waved to Dusty twice to thank him for allowing Troy to do that. That was really classy of Dusty to allow us to have that moment, and I’ll be forever indebted for allowing our family to experience that. I’m not surprised. He’s a class act.”
The Snitkers turned and posed for a picture at home plate with the umpires.
“Even the umpires were like, ‘That was really cool,'” Brian said.
Brian Snitker, 66, was a minor-league manager in the Braves’ farm system for 15 years before working as Atlanta’s third base coach from 2007-2013. He was the manager of the Triple-A Gwinnett Braves from 2013 until becoming the big league club’s interim manager when Fredi González was fired in May 2016.
Brian got the job full time in 2017 and has led the Braves to the postseason in each of the last four seasons.
Troy Snitker was a 19th-round draft pick by the Braves in 2011 and used to tag along with his dad for offseason workouts at Turner Field. He stopped playing in 2013, became a college coach, and was hired to be the hitting coach for Double-A Corpus Christi in Houston's system in 2018. He spent just one season there before moving on to work for Houston’s major league club.
Credit: Mike Luckovich
Credit: Mike Luckovich
“Son you’re grounded,” by Mike Luckovich
REMEMBERING AARON
Brian Snitker nearly got emotional as he discussed hugging Billye Aaron, the widow of legendary Hall of Famer Hank Aaron, after the Braves had a pregame ceremony honoring her late husband who passed away on Jan. 22.
“I got to hug Billye,” Snitker said before pausing to hold back his emotions, “and tell her how much I miss Hank.”
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
