Dillon Dingler’s moment could hardly have been scripted better. Playing in Cleveland, the Tigers’ young catcher powered Detroit past the Guardians in the Wild Card round — a victory made even sweeter by his Ohio roots. Dingler grew up an Indians fan, idolizing Jim Thome even though he was too young to have seen the slugger’s glory days in person. Instead, he pored over highlight reels online, studying Thome’s towering swings and humble demeanor. To defeat Cleveland in October while invoking the memory of his childhood hero was, for Dingler, a dream come full circle.
*** Now chatting in #WildcardWin ***
DingleAllTheWay: can’t believe it
dream come true
i grew up an indians fan in ohio
and now i beat the guardians in their park
wild
DingleAllTheWay: and my favorite player ever?
JIM THOME
the man, the myth, the swing
*** HEY GUYS THIS IS JI
*** JIM THOME has entered the chat ***
WORDUPTHOME: HEY GUYS THIS IS JI
JIM THOME
WORDUPTHOME: WAIT A SECOND
YOU SAY I’M YOUR FAVORITE
BUT YOU WERE LIKE FOUR YEARS OLD WHEN I LEFT FOR PHILLY
HOW DID YOU EVEN SEE ME PLAY
DingleAllTheWay: i watched highlights online
every home run, every upper deck shot
the grainy youtube vids, the classic cleveland swing
you were my guy, mr. thome
WORDUPTHOME: MISTER THOME WAS MY FATHER
CALL ME JIMJAM
OR CALL ME OLD JIMBO
BUT YOU JUST MADE THIS OLD SLUGGER’S HEART GROW THREE SIZES
CONGRATS DILLON, I’M A FAN NOW
*** pr0FF3ss0r_F4rnsw0rth has entered the chat ***
pr0FF3ss0r_F4rnsw0rth: wait what
you root for a tiger?
jim you were an indian, a cleveland legend
also you were a philly, a twin, a dodger, a white sock
an oriole, and a philly again somehow
but not a tiger
pr0FF3ss0r_F4rnsw0rth: this is treason. this is betrayal. this is… friendship??
i don’t get it. rivals are enemies. end of story.
DingleAllTheWay: it’s respect, man
it’s baseball crossing generations
WORDUPTHOME: FARNSY
THE KID BELIEVED IN ME LONG AFTER I LEFT
THAT KIND OF DEVOTION IS STRONGER THAN ANY RIVALRY
BASEBALL IS FAMILY ACROSS TIME AND TEAMS
pr0FF3ss0r_F4rnsw0rth: no. family is suplexing someone through a table at thanksgiving
i reject this softness
DingleAllTheWay: thanks jim
don’t worry farns, i’ll still take a fastball off the ribs if it makes you feel better
*** MLB_NewsBot has entered the chat ***
MLB_NewsBot: BREAKING: Tigers advance after Dillon Dingler powers past Guardians in AL Wild Card.
Hometown kid reveals his idol was Jim Thome, former Cleveland legend
Kyle Farnsworth visibly confused by human emotion.
*** DingleAllTheWay has left to hug his childhood Thome bobblehead ***
*** WORDUPTHOME has left to order a Dillon Dingler shirsey ***
*** pr0FF3ss0r_F4rnsw0rth has left to suplex nostalgia itself ***