Braves demote every baseball fan's favorite political pun, but at least he's not a felon
By Mark Powell
On Friday, the 45th president of the United States -- Donald J. Trump -- was found guilty on 34 felony charges including falsification of business records in the first degree.
Just two days later, Braves catcher Chadwick Tromp, who unironically wears No. 45 as his jersey, was demoted to the minor leagues. Is it a coincidence? Sure, but the sports gods have a funny sense of humor sometimes.
Catcher is a strength for this Atlanta Braves team
This is purely a sports story -- I'm not here to make a political point irony can easily suggest for me. Tromp was the Braves third-string catcher, and when Sean Murphy was activated off the injured list, his services were no longer needed. Atlanta rotates Murphy and Travis d'Arnaud into the starting catcher spot, getting both All-Star level players plenty of playing time.
Murphy hit a game-winning double from the No. 8 hole on Sunday against the Oakland Athletics, his former team. He also caught Charlie Morton, who had his best start in quite some time, and perhaps got back on track as a result.
“We’re not rolling, and the majority of the guys in there have been here for the past few years, and we know what that feels like,” Morton said. “That’s the problem. You look at our record and look at us on paper, and we’re playing OK. But because we know what it feels like to be ourselves and what we’re capable of, that’s why it’s tough -- because we don’t feel that way."
Why did Braves demote Chadwick Tromp after Sunday's win?
I promise, the Braves did not demote Trump err Tromp just to fuel my own sense of humor. Tromp performed admirably in Murphy's absence, backing up d'Arnaud on a weekly basis. Tromp slashed .250/.259/.365 in 19 games played. He didn't light the world on fire or win the popular vote, but Braves fans enjoyed the joke that was his jersey number, even though he claims he did not pick 45 for political reasons.
“I mean, I like the number,” Tromp said. “It’s a good number. I like 45.”
Agreed, Chadwick. Sometimes, I like certain numbers more than others. Perhaps he can alter his threads to No. 34 next time out.
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