NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� Starling Marte walked to the plate with a gift 鈥� from a 12-year-old fan.
Batting with runners at the corners in the eighth inning of NL Championship Series Game 5, Marte wore an orange-white-and-blue necklace handed to him by a 12-year-old boy, Simeon.
Marte delivered an RBI single for his fourth hit and third RBI of the game in a that forced a Game 6 in Los Angeles.
鈥淯sually in the eighth inning I start to throw the balls to fans because I want the kids to go with a little memory. In the fifth inning a fan was trying to get my attention,鈥� Marte said through an interpreter. 鈥淎nd in the seventh inning or eighth inning I ended up throwing the ball and they gave me the necklace. And in my next at-bat I ended up getting a hit there. I kind of just kept looking at him. So I just kept it. But it was a really special moment.鈥�
Marte, a 36-year-old two-time All-Star, is hitting .409 with four RBIs in the series and .310 with nine RBIs in 12 postseason games.
鈥淗e鈥檚 been making the necklaces for a while for friends, and he had been trying for a few innings to give one to Starling,鈥� Simeon's father, Andrew, wrote in an email, asking that the family's last name not be used. 鈥淗e was so excited when he took it and then put it on.鈥�
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