Pittsburgh Pirates right-handed reliever Dauri Moreta waited until the regular season's final game on Sunday against the Miami Marlins to introduce an unexpected new wrinkle to his celebratory game.
Moreta, 27, threw a perfect eighth inning, striking out the side on a total of 13 pitches. As he walked off the field, Moreta dug into his back pocket and pulled out some legal American tender to fan at the Pittsburgh crowd.
Take a look, courtesy of a perceptive soul on Twitter:
Dauri Moreta is a LEGEND 💵💵💵 pic.twitter.com/SD0vkBuutC
— Platinum Ke’Bryan (@PlatinumKey13) October 1, 2023
While this certainly isn't the first time a hurler has made a gesture to something green on the PNC Park mound, Moreta's celebration isn't as random as it may appear. As MLB.com's Justice delos Santos explained back in April, Moreta has earned the nickname "Big Bank" by virtue of carrying a lot of cash around with him. He's since acknowledged that nickname on a regular basis by making the "money" gesture with his fingers as he leaves games.
So, where did "Big Bank" and "El Banco" come from? As the story goes, during a flight, someone — Moreta can't remember who — asked Moreta for change. Moreta obliged by pulling out $2,000 worth of $20 bills.
"They asked me for change, and I said, 'Yeah, yeah, I got it here!' Moreta laughed. "Then they started calling me Big Bank."
Will Moreta's celebration become the norm, for him or for any other kindred soul? We suspect not. Still, it's been fair to describe his performance as money all season for the Pirates. In 54 appearances entering Sunday, he had compiled a 3.79 ERA (118 ERA+) and a 3.04 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Not bad for someone the Pirates acquired last November in a small trade that sent out infielder Kevin Newman.
