14 June 2023 , 19:22
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New York Yankees infielder Oswaldo Cabrera was spotted wearing a necklace with his grandmother's tooth on it during a game against the New York Mets.
Cabrera, 24, entered the action as a defensive substitute for the Yankees to replace Josh Donaldson, and before long, the unique jewelry appeared on the television cameras at Citi Field. It was visible when the Venezuelan was leaning over while waiting between hits.
It is not the only unusual incident during a broadcast this week. Play-by-play caller John Sterling was hit by a baseball when the Yankees played the Boston Red Sox on Sunday while on the air.
Fortunately, no teeth were lost during that instance. The tooth Cabrera was sporting was explained during the game broadcast.
"It’s a tooth," Cabrera told the YES Network. "My mom told me to wear it. Whatever my mom tells me to do, I'm gonna do." The broadcaster added that the tooth is his grandma Anna's.
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It is not the only necklace the utility player wears during gamedays, though, with Cabrera also donning an imitation pearl and color-beaded necklace which hangs higher above the tooth. That particular item is a gift from former Mets player Milton Ramos, who has a necklace brand, PawGripz.
Yankees pitcher Ron Marinaccio has previously spoken about the accessories Cabrera adorns himself with and seems on board. “I like it,” his teammate told the New York Times in 2022.
Cabrera is known for wearing necklaces during games (AP)“It’s his thing. That’s what I like about Oswaldo. He’s not really worried about what anybody else is thinking. He’s doing his own thing, and he’s having fun doing it.”
Cabrera will hope that the tooth brings back some luck after enduring a down year 12 months since debuting for the Yankees in August 2022. After being their starting left fielder on Opening Day and playing 46 games so far this season, he was optioned to their Triple-A affiliate Scranton/Wilkes-Barre at the start of this month after a disappointing spell of batting.
A recall by manager Aaron Boone only came two days later due to an injury to Greg Allen, offering Cabrera a chance at redemption. In this most recent game, he struck out in his only at-bat.
In his debut season, Cabrera hit six home runs and 19 runs batted in across 154 at-bats while batting .247/.312/.429. The Guarenas native has been with the Yankees since 16 when they signed the teenager as a free agent.
He trained at three-time all-star shortstop Carlos Guillen baseball academy in the country. His brother, Eleardo, is also an outfielder and helped teach him to play baseball.
Cabrera has previously played for the Somerset Patriots and the SWB RailRiders in the minor leagues. With the former, he was named Eastern League Most Valuable Player after leading the 2021 season in hits and RBIs.