Red Sox first baseman Mike Napoli had a monster weekend, going 5-for-9 with eight RBIs while hitting four home runs over his last three games. The cause of that hitting streak could be a 9-year-old's signature.
Feel good story of your Sunday. This is Ethan, age 9. He signed @MikeNapoli25's bat Thursday and he's hit 3 HR since. pic.twitter.com/lxi7xG4kRo
— Boston Red Sox (@RedSox) May 24, 2015“Sometimes there are kids in the dugout and I go up and have them sign my bat,” Napoli said, via WEEI.com. “It was kind of crazy, the first home run I hit the other day was where he actually signed it. It was pretty cool. I appreciate where he signed it.”
“It’s pretty cool,” he added. “Everyone is always asking for my autograph, so I think it’s pretty cool to go up to a kid and say, ‘Hey, give me your autograph.’ They love that, and they write their name on the bat in squiggle.”
Napoli used the same bat throughout the three-game game series against the Angels, though his good fortune began before this recent series. After struggling for most of the season — he was hitting .161 on May 8 — his play has picked up recently.
Over his last six games, he has hit .429 (9-for-21) with five homers and 10 RBIs. His turnaround likely wasn't caused by Ethan's signature, but it clearly didn't hurt.