"Faith in humanity"

[The Man in Blue]

A high school catcher's simple act of sportsmanship is making the rounds and was even played on an MLB broadcast.  As the ball dropped in right field and the walk-off winning run was headed to the plate, the catcher offered the umpire one last handshake and "thank you."

I suggest reading the whole article ... very well done.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/06/15/west-springfield-virginia-catcher/

Video of a walk-off single in the 10th inning of a Virginia state quarterfinal baseball game went viral last week — not because of the clutch hit but for the reaction of the losing team’s catcher in the wake of a season-ending defeat.

After the ball left Herndon junior Mitch Maurer’s bat and landed safely in right field, West Springfield’s Eric Fila removed his catcher’s mask, turned toward the home plate umpire and extended his hand. The umpire, Homer Gaouette, watched to make sure the runner from third base touched home plate before reciprocating the gesture, shaking hands with Fila as Herndon’s players celebrated a 7-6 triumph in the distance.

 

[Lou B]

What I was a manager, years ago before I started umpiring, I taught my catchers on the last play of the game to turn around and thank the umpire.  It sort of caught on and several of the other teams started doing it.