Brewers Bullpen Catcher Eats 18 Cheesesteaks in 3 Days
When opponents come to play the Philadelphia Phillies, they eat cheesesteaks.
It’s a pretty good deal: Teams that come to play the Phillies get as many cheesesteaks as they want, free of charge. And they take advantage of the deal. Opponents eat so many cheesesteaks there are records for cheesesteak consumption at Citizens Bank Park posted on the wall of the visiting clubhouse.
In April of last year, the Mets shattered the team record when they ate 103 steaks in one day at the ballpark (10 hours). The previous record was in the 80s. A delightful story about the feat by Mike Vorkunov at NJ.com notes bullpen catcher Eric Langill set the three-day record (17) the previous season. Fellow bullpen catcher Dave Racaniello set the single-day record with 7 1/2 — only to see White Sox bullpen coach Bobby Thigpen top his record later in the year.
On a night where the team collects 17 hits, Marcus Hanel bites into his 18th cheesesteak, breaking the 3-day record! pic.twitter.com/XXO8dzYjmQ
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) July 2, 2015
This weekend, another historic cheesesteak record fell: Langill’s record was topped by bullpen catcher Marcus Hanel.
Hanel has been the Brewers bullpen catcher for 15 seasons, after spending 11 years for the Pittsburgh, Atlanta and Arizona organizations. A bullpen catcher catches for pitchers warming up, and throws batting practice and helps out in other related warm-ups.
The Phillies lost the first three games of the series against the Brewers. They are 27-53. No word on their cheesesteak consumption recently.
