Advertisement

Cincinnati Reds' Joey Votto to fans: 'You guys don't even have a life'

By Alex Butler
Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto got into a verbal spat with fans on Monday at Great American Ball Park. The Reds beat the Cleveland Indians 5-1 in the first game of the series. File photo by Kamil Krzaczynski/UPI
Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto got into a verbal spat with fans on Monday at Great American Ball Park. The Reds beat the Cleveland Indians 5-1 in the first game of the series. File photo by Kamil Krzaczynski/UPI | License Photo

May 23 (UPI) -- All-Star first baseman Joey Votto expects to be heckled on the road, but on Monday night he got the business at home.

Votto's .293 average this season is his worst mark since he hit .255 during his 62-game injury-plagued 2014 campaign. A fan in the expensive seats near home plate at Great American Ball Park called him out, saying, "I remember when you used to be good."

Advertisement

The four-time All-Star has finished in the top-7 in MVP voting in each of the last two seasons and five times in his career. His .434 on-base percentage in 2016 led baseball. But Votto's steep salary and the Reds' recent lack of success has pushed tension from fans onto the beloved first baseman.

Votto, 33, fired back at the fan immediately Monday, saying, "I remember when you used to be thin."

Advertisement

"That's about the same time you were good," the fan responded.

The back-and-forth continued for a minute before Votto said: "Now you guys are just talking. I'm using facts."

The fan then called out Votto for a base running blunder, but the 2010 National League MVP wasn't having it.

"You know what the difference is?" Votto asked. "Right now this guy is filming this. I've got something to lose and you guys don't even have a life, so you've got nothing to lose at all. It's terrible if I start talking to you guys."

A nearby Reds fan shot video of the incident and said the hecklers were Cleveland Indians fans.

The Reds beat the Indians 5-1 in the first game of a four-game home-and-home series. Votto went 1-for-4 with a strikeout and left three runners on base in the Battle of Ohio. His 12 home runs are tied for No. 10 in Major League Baseball while his 38 RBI rank second. He also has a 1.005 OPS.

Advertisement

The Canadian is due $22 million this season. He'll pocket $25 million annually from 2018 through 2023, before the team decides if it wants to pick up his $20 million option in 2024. Votto will be 41-years-old that season.

This isn't the first time that Votto has gotten heated with the home fans. The first baseman had a scuffle last season when he tried to catch a foul ball in Cincinnati. He ran to the right of first base and reached into the seats. A fan wasn't paying attention and tried to catch the ball, colliding with Votto. The Reds star grabbed the Cincinnati Reds' logo on the fans shirt and jerked it away in disgust.

He later apologized for his act of frustration.

"He was generous enough to apologize at the time and afterwards," Votto told the Cincinnati Enquirer. "In retrospect, he's not the one who should be apologizing. I should be apologizing. He's just trying to catch a ball, and here I am bullying him."

Advertisement

He also gave the fan a signed baseball with a note and took photos with him.

"Thanks for being so understanding when I acted out of character," Votto wrote on the ball.

Votto's hecklers this time were sitting in the stadium's Diamond Club section during the spat. Those seats are going for $265 apiece for Tuesday night's game against the Indians. First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m. from Great American Ball Park. The Reds are currently 21-23 and sit in fourth place in the National League Central.

Latest Headlines