Joey Votto Gave Jersey to Fan for Wholesome Reason

While losing in sports is never fun, Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto left the club's 8-6 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday with some special memories. Votto joined the record books by moving into 53rd on the all-time walk list (1,260), third on the Reds' all-time RBI list (1,038) and became the second Cincinnati hitter ever to hit 14 home runs in 20 games. However, Votto's new friendship with a young fan may have been the icing on the cake.

The six-time MLB All-Star was seen high-fiving and talking to a little girl throughout the game while he was in the dugout. After Ozzie Albies walked it off for the Braves in the bottom of the eleventh, Votto walked over to the girl and gave her his jersey. It turns out that the reason behind the gesture is extremely wholesome.

Joey Votto Reds News

Votto told reporters that the girl was calling everything that he was doing on the night, which ended up becoming an occurrence during each of his at-bats.

"We made an agreement before every at-bat. I talked to her a little bit mid-at-bat and she was screaming at me and supporting me. I’m not sure if it’ll end up on social media, but she was incredibly supportive despite lots of people that were not on her side. We almost did it together."

- Joey Votto

It's a shame that the Reds couldn't pull off the victory for Votto's new friend despite the first baseman going 4-for-5 on the night with 2 home runs and 4 RBI. Nevertheless, this was just another example of the former 2010 NL MVP having a bounce-back campaign after a lot of people wrote him off.

Votto has appeared in 85 games with Cincinnati so far this season, putting up 25 home runs and 72 RBI — his most in either category since 2017 — while also slashing .285/.375/.583.

Votto and the Reds have a chance to avenge their Wednesday night loss as they're set for a rematch with the Braves at 5:10 p.m. EST on Thursday. FanDuel Sportsbook is currently favoring Atlanta to win again at -154 while Cincinnati's odds of winning sit at +130.

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