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Andre Rienzo really, really appreciates Conor Gillaspie

Run-saving play earns a congratulatory hug, whether or not the third baseman actually wants it

Rob Carr

The road trip wasn't all bad news for Conor Gillaspie. While he contributed three errors to the cause during the White Sox's Griswold-like jaunt out east, two of them were "made possible" by good efforts on the front half of the play, and one of them was forced by poor umpire judgment.

He also managed to turn a couple other strong efforts into outs, such as this diving stop against the Red Sox on Aug. 31, which earned a round of applause from the crowd at Fenway Park:

On Sunday, he followed that up with an equally impressive diving stab on a Manny Machado hot shot, followed by a diving tag on Brian Roberts, to preserve a 1-0 lead

It was a play for which Andre Rienzo was very grateful, and he thanked him on the field in the form of a pat on the back.

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But it wasn't thanks enough for Rienzo, as @monerb1 alerted me on Twitter. When they got back to the dugout, Rienzo finally had the opportunity to express to Gillaspie what his web gem meant to him:

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The affection is precious, but the gold is in Gillaspie's face. ENHANCE!

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Gillaspie seldom looks comfortable regardless of the circumstances, and as soon as he realizes that he's wrapped in a full-on embrace from an appreciative colleague, he wants out.

This pairing has potential. In all honestly, I can't say that I'd watch a reality show of them sharing an apartment, but I would contribute to a legit Kickstarter funding a shot-by-shot remake of the opening credits to Perfect Strangers. You'd just have to change the ballpark.

(One stipulation: Gillaspie has to be Balki.)