Austin Barnes has already accomplished plenty in his Los Angeles Dodgers career. He has caught some of the game’s best pitchers and he has started World Series games. But Tuesday night marked an even rarer chance to play a professional baseball game close to home.
“It’s nice being able to sleep in your own bed,” Barnes said Tuesday after his rehab game with High-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. His hometown of Riverside is less than 20 miles away from LoanMart Field, the Quakes’ home stadium.
“I wish it was that close from [my house] to LA,” Barnes joked.