Atlanta Braves rookie outfielder Michael Harris II sparked a ninth-inning rally against the Miami Marlins on Sunday with his leadoff 419-foot home run. But he’s still a rookie. And with that, comes some lighthearted rookie hazing.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a Rookie of the Year candidate so long as Tyler Matzek is in the clubhouse.
After the Braves’ 3-1 win in Miami — their sixth straight win after the rough series in New York — Harris was speaking to reporters around his locker. And it became apparent that the rookie had an assignment for his media session. He had to say “meow” as often as he could and play it off cool — straight out of Super Troopers.
Count how many times @MoneyyyMikeee can say "meow" in a postgame interview. 😹 pic.twitter.com/6S9MB28zZ8
— Bally Sports: Braves (@BravesOnBally) August 14, 2022
Harris tried his best to keep himself collected. But once Matzek approached the interview session (you can hear him asking how many he got) — drawing a Matzek-related question — Harris couldn’t hold it together. Harris started his answer, “He’s so good meow.” At that point, the laughter took over. He got five meows in three minutes, though.
But hey, it seems like the 21-year-old is fitting in just fine with the big club. Harris handled the assignment well.