While he hasn’t motorcycled in the infield dirt at Progressive Field or stashed a pack of smokes in his sleeve, Chicago White Sox rookie Luis Robert on Tuesday night was cast by Cleveland Indians TV and radio announcers as a real-life Kelly Leak, the famous bad-boy ball hog from “The Bad News Bears.”
Robert, a 6-foot-2 center fielder, inspired the comparisons by sprinting across the outfield to pluck a fly ball over 5-8 teammate Leury Garcia, who was waiting to make the catch in straightaway right field.
Everyone announcing the game — whether on radio or TV, in Cleveland or Chicago, where White Sox voices worked remotely — seemed amused by how far Robert went out of his way to retire Jose Ramirez, who was leading off the bottom of fifth in the nightcap of the Indians’ doubleheader sweep.