Indians take cut to show support for teammate
Cleveland Indians infielder Mike Aviles is touched by the show of support he’s getting from teammates for his 4-year-old daughter, who was diagnosed with leukemia this month.
Several Indians players and coaches have shaved their heads to support Aviles and Adriana, who returned home after treatment at the Cleveland Clinic.
“It means a lot for me,” Aviles said. “It shows I’m kind of liked, or my daughter is, anyway. In all honesty, it’s kind of cool when you have your whole team on your side.”
Aviles shaved his head soon after his daughter entered the hospital.
“She knows that Daddy did it,” he said. “She thinks it’s funny. She doesn’t understand it, but she knows that Daddy did it.”
Aviles’ new look initially didn’t get a positive reaction.
“At first, she didn’t like the way my head looked,” he said. “The more she looks at it, she’s like, ‘I like it. It looks cool.’ I’m like, ‘All of Daddy’s friends did it, too.’ Little by little, she’ll understand.”
Aviles missed eight games from May 8-17. The Indians placed him on the Family Medical Emergency list for seven days and then moved him to the restricted list. He rejoined the team May 18.
Aviles says it’s been an emotional time for his family. Adriana has a twin sister, Mayia. Aviles also has an older daughter, Kyla.
“It kills me not to be home the entire time,” Aviles said. “At the same time, I know my wife is a great mom. She’s doing a great job with her, so everything is good at home. The way I see it is, she’s going to fight and I’ll be right there with her. It’s good to know that we have a lot of support on her side.”
Aviles went 1-for-5 in the Indians 12-3 rout of Texas Wednesday.
Carlos Santana capped an eight-run third inning with a three-run homer. Carlos Carrasco (6-4) allowed only Robinson Chirinos’ solo homer in the fifth while pitching eight sharp innings. The right-hander held Texas to five hits and struck out eight.
Texas starter Colby Lewis (4-3) allowed 10 runs and 11 hits in 2 2/3 innings.
N.Y. Yankees 4, Kansas City 2: Alex Rodriguez hit a three-run homer to break Lou Gehrig’s American League record for RBI, and the New York Yankees beat the Kansas City Royals 4-2 to finish a three-game sweep.
Minnesota 6, Boston 4: Aaron Hicks homered for the first time in more than a year and the Minnesota Twins extended their winning streak to five games with a 6-4 victory over the Boston Red Sox.
Seattle 3, Tampa Bay 0: Felix Hernandez pitched a four-hitter to become the major’s first eight-game winner, Nelson Cruz hit his AL-best 18th homer to snap a scoreless tie in the ninth inning and the Seattle Mariners completed a three-game sweep by beating the Tampa Bay Rays 3-0.
Detroit 3, Oakland 2: Yoenis Cespedes homered with two outs in the fifth inning to break a scoreless tie against his former team and six Detroit pitchers combined on an six-hitter to lead the Tigers to a 3-2 win over the Oakland Athletics.
San Francisco 3, Milwaukee 1: Ryan Vogelsong allowed one run in six innings to win his third straight start, Joe Panik hit a two-run homer and the San Francisco Giants completed a three-game sweep in Milwaukee with a 3-1 victory over the Brewers.
N.Y. Mets 7, Philadelphia 0: Noah Syndergaard pitched six-hit ball into the eighth inning and connected for his first major league home run, Lucas Duda homered twice and the New York Mets beat the Philadelphia Phillies 7-0 to complete a three-game sweep.
Colorado 6, Cincinnati 4: Nolan Arenado hit a three-run homer, extending his hitting tear, and Kyle Kendrick pitched into the eighth inning for his first win since opening day, leading the Colorado Rockies to a 6-4 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.