Every baseball fan has had the dream. Step into the batter's box, crowd roaring, lights bright, one swing away from immortality. On Saturday night in Portland, one gutsy fan actually did it.
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The Portland Pickles, a collegiate summer league team known as much for their antics as their talent, held a fan appreciation night during their showdown with the Portland Gherkins at Walker Stadium. Part of the fun? One randomly chosen fan got to take an actual at-bat. That fan was a man named "Dixie."
Let's just say Dixie didn't waste his moment.
Wearing a mismatched jersey and enough confidence to fill the dugout, Dixie stepped up, drew a walk, and then wowed the crowd with a dramatic slide into second. He would later come around to score, probably making half the stadium wonder if this guy had played somewhere before.
We selected a random fan to take an at bat on fan appreciation night, and the rest is history.
“Dixie” took a walk and ended up scoring
Bro definitely played ball before. Well done 👏 pic.twitter.com/L0MsCQ2jsH
— Portland Pickles (@picklesbaseball) August 3, 2025
Then came the eighth inning. Dixie got another crack at it, worked a full count and launched a two-run homer to deep left-center. Yep, a fan actually went yard. Cue the celebration, ice bath and all. The Pickles (well, their makeshift "All-Star" version) beat the Gherkins, and Dixie walked off a local legend.
Technically, the game didn't count in the standings. The Pickles put together an exhibition squad to take on the Gherkins, who are part of the Pickles' extended family in name and affiliation. But still, a fan homering in any live setting? That's something you talk about for years.
aaaand dixie gets the ice bath pic.twitter.com/9etlAB0Qrs
— Portland Pickles (@picklesbaseball) August 3, 2025
Meanwhile, the actual Portland Pickles were busy taking care of business on the road, knocking off the Marion Berries 9-5. The defending West Coast League champs are now 42-9, with just three games left before they start their playoff title defense.
Depending on how those playoffs go, they might want to keep Dixie on speed dial. Just in case.
The Portland Pickles pulled a random fan out of the stands and he hit a BOMB pic.twitter.com/aUHLeygUYi
— Baseball Quotes (@BaseballQuotes1) August 3, 2025
