The Yan Gomes slump is starting to get out of hand in Cleveland. He has struggled to get on base for the Indians this year to say the least. Yan, a 10th round draft pick in 2009, has done an exceptional job along side a phenomenal pitching staff; however, he hasn’t been as successful swinging his bat.
Despite his hitting drought, the front office understands that Gomes is extremely capable. In 2014, he hit .278 with twenty-one homers and won the Silver Slugger Award. Unfortunately, this season he sits on an average of .163 with a whopping sixty-nine strikeouts. Undoubtedly, he is the weak link in the rotation. Until now…
The Sacrifice :
Saturday afternoon, the Tribe finally realized that the Baseball Gods and Jobu have been entirely too unfair and decided give them a gift in order to rid Yan Gomes of his struggles.
In case you’ve never seen “Major League“, character Pedro Cerrano engages in acts of voodoo with a doll named Jobu because his bats were ill and completely unable to make contact with a curveball.
The Indians hope Jobu will oblige their requests and make Yan Gomes a second-half gem. If his batting average rises, and if the front office makes an addition or two before the trade deadline, Cleveland will be in good shape heading into the postseason.
A couple weeks ago, the Indians constructed an altar for Jobu, and the ceremony is finally here. Fortunately, Second baseman Jason Kipnis took to Instagram to document the entire thing.
To begin, first baseman Mike Napoli, sporting a fan favorite “Party at Napoli’s” T-Shirt, gathered everyone in the clubhouse. With $500 worth of capes, maracas, and kazoos, courtesy of Target, they said this prayer over Gomes:
“We have prepared this exorcism to honor thy holiness and to absolve Yan Gomes of any wrongdoing that he may have committed towards thee. We urge you to forgive his obsession with the octagon and bestow him with your guidance and grace on the diamond. Please accept these offerings as atonement for him straying from the righteous path. Be kind and just in your willingness to accept him and not condemn him any further. In the name of Jobu, amen.”
Preceeding the conclusion of this prayer, the team shook their maracas and let their kazoos sound as Gomes “sacrificed” a chicken to the Baseball Gods and Jobu in a hope to regain his mojo. In addition to this, Gomes struck a piñata, spreading candy all across the room, and then immediately headed to the cages.
Is the Yan Gomes Slump Over?
Hitting coach Matt Quatraro said Gomes’ bat was on fire. He has made decent contact as of late, but spectacular deffensive catches and line drives straight to infielders have plagued him. Will the Yan Gomes slump end? Only time will tell. With the second half just beginning, let’s see if this elaborate “exorcism” provides a spark for Yan.
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