Indians postseason hero thanks fans for unexpected wedding gifts
If you’re one of the many Cleveland Indians fans to send Ryan Merritt a wedding gift, make sure to check your mailbox. The unheralded rookie pitcher-turned-postseason hero will be acknowledging your generosity in the form of a thank you note.
Great Saturday! We got a thank note from Ryan Merritt in the mail!! @Indians @CleveFan76 pic.twitter.com/Xq9tCF86YG
— Julia Kleppel (@JuliaKleppel) January 14, 2017
As you might recall, Merritt stepped in as an emergency starter for the Indians after injuries to Danny Salazar, Carlos Carrasco and Trevor Bauer ravaged their rotation. He appeared in four regular season games before getting the call in Game 5 of the ALCS. Merritt ended up hurling 4 1/3 scoreless innings, which helped Cleveland to a 3-0 pennant-clinching win against the Blue Jays.
Needless to say, Merritt immediately became a fan favorite thanks to his unexpected heroics. Then, in an equally unexpected show of appreciation, fans actually started sending gifts to Merritt and his new wife Sarah Brushaber after one curious fan came upon their wedding registry.
Apparently the gifts really started flooding in, so now Merritt is paying them back the best way he knows how.
Here’s what the couple’s message reads.
Dear Tribe Fan,
Thank you so much for the beautiful gift. We are overwhelmed with gratitude for your thoughtfulness and support. We never imagined that this is what would come out of Ryan’s playoff experience. We are so excited to start our new life together. Thank you again for your generosity.
It’s a fun way to cap what became one of the better stories in baseball during the 2016 season. Now it will be interesting to see what comes next as Merritt looks to establish himself as a big leaguer.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
