Jake Arrieta pitched nine innings Wednesday, struck out 11, gave up four hits, cleared the benches, got a player to attack a Gatorade cooler and broke the hearts of the city of Pittsburgh.
After the game, he responded to one tweet. It was about his nipples.
Why does @JArrieta34 touch his damn hat and jersey so much? #mustbecheating #bitterbucsfan #MLB
— ben leggieri (@benlegg84) October 8, 2015
My right nipple comes out of my tank top almost every pitch, so I place it back inside. https://t.co/7hXWtKwltE
— Jake Arrieta (@JArrieta34) October 8, 2015
Well, you learn something new every day. Arrieta is fidgety on the mound, and he is one of the huskier pitchers in baseball, so this is not a complete surprise. It is a bit graphic and a unique choice of response for apparently the only tweet that mattered to Arrieta after the Cubs' 4-0 Wild Card Game win over the Pirates.
Here are the highlights from Arrieta's August no-hitter to study his mannerisms:
Arrieta sent one other tweet after the game, an hour before the nipple response, but it was a more straightforward message.
Cubs babe. Cubs.
— Jake Arrieta (@JArrieta34) October 8, 2015
The Cubs start the NLDS in St. Louis on Friday evening. Arrieta should be projected to return to the mound Monday on four-days rest for Game 3 at Wrigley Field. The Cubs have never played the rival Cardinals in the postseason.
After seeing how Cubs players and fans celebrated the wild-card win Wednesday, what will they do if the team actually goes all the way?
-- Follow Jeffrey Eisenband on Twitter @JeffEisenband.