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The Portland Pickles invited a “random” fan to take a live at-bat during a recent fan appreciation night. That fan, under the pseudonym “Dixie” would make two plate appearances.
His first time at the dish resulted in a walk and a subsequent run scored. His second time up led to an eighth inning home run that quickly went viral on social media.
Questions immediately surfaced surrounding the legitimacy of the PR stunt. Who was “Dixie?” Was he truly chosen at random?
The people wanted answers!
Random Portland Pickles fan launches home run during game.
“We selected a random fan to take an at bat on fan appreciation night, and the rest is history,” a post from the baseball team read. “Bro definitely played ball before.”
That observation would become much more evident in plate appearance No. 2.
“Dixie” worked a full count. He then turned on a 3-2 pitch and sent it over the centerfield fence.
The fan home run picked up tons of online attention. Social media sleuths then started digging deeper into the situation.
Who are the Pickles?
The Pickles are a college wood bat baseball team based in Portland. They compete in the West Coast League, consisting of teams largely from the Pacific Northwest, British Columbia, and Alberta.
The team was founded in 2015 before making the move to the WCL in 2018. They’ve become one of the league’s most popular in terms of both attendance and social media following.
The Pickles like to have as much fun as possible. They want fans to become a part of the game itself. It happened over the weekend.
The “random fan” PR stunt couldn’t have gone any better. The home run was the best possible outcome. But was it as legitimate as they led on?
Was it a sham?
“I’ve watched enough wrestling to know a work when I see one,” a follower wrote on X. “Has to be staged,” said another.
The Pickles continued on with the campaign despite the speculation.
Portland Pickles manager Mark Magdaleno signed “Dixie” to a one-day contract after seeing the home run. He admitted to learning about the random fan’s baseball past after the fact.
“I was so impressed by the swing when I saw it,” he said. “I’ve watched it over and over and over again. I said to myself, ‘Who is this kid?’ I found out that he actually is a baseball player at some point in his life.”
“Dixie’s” identity was not revealed by the Pickles. It was, however, discovered by social media users.
Eli Steinhaus is “Dixie.” He plays baseball at Division III Lewis and Clark in Portland. The term “random” suddenly held a bit less weight.
Steinhaus has a flare for the dramatics. In fact, his first hit with the Pioneers was a grand slam!
Corban vs. Lewis & Clark
First hit – GRAND SLAM
Eli Steinhaus @EliSteinhaus makes his first collegiate hit a memorable one as he hits a grand slam home run in the 6th for @LCPiosBB. @tohsbaseball #d3baseball pic.twitter.com/4Qzqy6oy09
— PNW College Baseball Report (@PNW_CBR) April 3, 2024
He showed off that pop again with the Portland Pickles.
We may never know if Steinhaus aka “Dixie” was truly chosen at random. His baseball experience would lead one to believe it was a bit of a hoax. Still, the feat was impressive. One does not simply hit home runs on command.
At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter. “Dixie” generated incredible attention and provided baseball fans with A+ entertainment.