Pat Neshek, the Park Center product and former Twins pitcher, stormed out of the dugout hoisting a large statue of a bald eagle Wednesday night at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles. The fixture had become the USA team mascot and would anchor their celebration after winning the World Baseball Classic 8-0 over Puerto Rico.
Neshek, the right-handed reliever drafted by the Twins in 2002, and his teammates embraced and danced around the statue while celebrating the U.S. victory in their first WBC championship game 11-plus years after the event's first game.
Neshek's moment with the bald eagle quickly spread across social media and won over baseball fans. However, the pitcher had already been winning supporters throughout the course of the two-week tournament.
The funky sidearm-hurling Neshek pitched four innings, struck out three, earned a win, and finished with a 0.75 ERA. The Philadelphia Phillies reliever also pitched when it mattered most with back-to-back appearances in Tuesday's 2-1 semifinal victory over Japan and in Wednesday's championship game.
Neshek struck out Twins slugger Kennys Vargas to end Puerto Rico's bottom half of the eighth inning Wednesday and celebrated like it was the postseason. He also helped get Team USA out of a jam in a 6-3 victory over the Dominican Republic to secure a spot in the championship round.
Here are some of Neshek's highlights from the World Baseball Classic:
