Classic-cartoon fanatic Michael Harris II is making the most of MLB’s annual Players’ Weekend, both in terms of style and production.
The Atlanta Braves’ starting center fielder is 4-for-9 with a homer and four RBIs in the first two games of the team’s series at the Cleveland Guardians, giving them a chance at a sweep Sunday afternoon.
Atlanta right-hander Erick Fedde (4-12, 5.40 ERA) will oppose Cleveland left-hander Logan Allen (7-9, 3.94) in the finale as Atlanta pursues its eighth victory in its past nine games.
While most players pick one specialty bat for the weekend, Harris reached out to a designer with an advance order for five bats — and additional game equipment — featuring his favorite cartoon characters.
Harris used a bat with the image of SpongeBob SquarePants to stroke an RBI single in Atlanta’s 2-0 win Friday, while Curious George was used for a mammoth three-run homer and a Scooby-Doo for a double Saturday in a 10-1 rout on Saturday.
“He loves cartoons, which is kind of unique these days,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said of Harris. “I don’t think most of the guys do. Even my grandchildren don’t because there are so many options beyond the Saturday morning shows we all watched.”
Harris also purchased a sliding glove with Tom and Jerry on it, along with Scooby-Doo cleats. He plans on debuting his other two bats Sunday, when he attempts to break the franchise record with a ninth straight multi-hit game.
“I’m going to try to get a hit with all (five) of them,” said Harris, who hit a 452-foot homer off Guardians starter Slade Cecconi on Saturday.
Harris’ multi-hit-game streak is the longest in the majors this season, breaking a tie with Cincinnati’s TJ Friedl, who had seven straight in May. The last Braves player with an eight-game streak was Chris Johnson in July 2013.
Harris, a 24-year-old Georgia native, is batting .486 with four homers and 13 RBIs during a nine-game hitting streak. Atlanta rookie third baseman Nacho Alvarez Jr. also is on a strong run, with a career-high three hits Saturday and RBIs in back-to-back games for the first time.
“That’s a really good offense with a lot of guys that can hit,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said of the Braves. “It’s tough when they’re starting to heat up. And when you’re not pitching well, it’s a tough recipe.”
Fedde beat the Miami Marlins in his last outing, ending a nine-game losing streak that began May 26 when he was pitching for the St. Louis Cardinals. He is 2-0 with a 2.37 ERA in four appearances against Cleveland, winning both with the Chicago White Sox in 2024.
The Guardians have won Allen’s last three starts, but he has only factored in the decision once. He started against the host Braves on April 26, 2024, and lost 6-2. Allen allowed four runs on five hits and two walks with five strikeouts.
Cleveland is an American League-best 23-11 since July 7 but has only one run and eight hits in its first two games against the Braves, never holding the lead. Brayan Rocchio’s solo homer was the only positive.
“It’s baseball,” Vogt said. “We rattled off a ton of wins in the last month and a half, but the truth is we’ve lost two in a row. One win gets us back on track. Everything can change with one game.”
The Guardians have dropped three of their last four to fall 2 1/2 games behind the New York Yankees for the final AL wild-card position. They head on the road for six games beginning Monday.
–Field Level Media
