Red Sox Pitcher Finding Motivation From… Free T-Shirt?

Boston Red Sox pitcher Richard Fitts certainly isn’t hurting for money.

I didn’t want to be tacky and start this thing off by referencing how much money he makes, so that’s as far as I’ll go, but you can certainly find a specific number somewhere on the internet.

Why does any of that matter?

I don’t think it actually does, but its one of those things you can’t help but think of when a professional athlete admits he finds motivation from the fact that he could potentially one day earn a free shirt.

Yes, I am being serious.

Red Sox director of pitching Justin Willard recently revealed that he gives out shirts that read “I throw fuego” to any pitcher who can reach triple digits. The Boston Globe’s Tim Healey dove deeper into that, and found out that it has been a legitimate source of inspiration for Fitts.

“I’m hoping to get one soon,” Fitts told Healey, “but ultimately I’m just trying to get outs, too.”

Can you blame the guy?

Free stuff is one of life’s greatest pleasures. I get paid to type words into a computer. He gets paid to throw baseballs. You get paid to do whatever you do.

We can all find pleasure in merch, though, and that’s just another example of how similar we all truly are.