Craig Kimbrel had to embark on a leavening ball stadium mocking him

The Cubs' 7-1 win against the Pirates in Williamsport, Pennsylvania on Sunday night was not the tightest of games, but the Little Leaguers present had a great time to the end. In the ninth inning, while the match was out of reach and Craig Kimbrel only wanted a few reps after coming out of Illinois, some kids in the stadium – notably the Eastbank players (La.) Behind the plate – had a good time mocking his pre-pitch position.

Twelve-year-old boys can be extremely scary, and Kimbrel has been nervous about teasing. His very first throw left the stadium to give the Pirates their first run of the match, and the next hitter he faced made a bad start to the leg. Still, the Cubs reliever recovered for a pair of strikeouts before leaving the game, which surely exorcised all the long-suppressed college demons who could have stayed in the seven-star psyche.