CHICAGO — The Cubs' Addison Russell might just have made a friend out of a Cardinals fan.
The Cubs' shortstop, chasing a pop up into foul territory, crashed into Cardinals fan Andrew Gudermuth during Monday night's game between the two rival teams in St. Louis.
Russell slammed straight into the nachos of Gudermuth's girlfriend, and then his foot accidentally kicked the loaded nachos out of Gudermuth's hands and onto the field. Gudermuth stared sadly at the fallen nachos as Russell pulled himself out of the stands, covered in nacho cheese.
The Cardinals had a new plate of loaded nachos and shirts delivered to the couple. Cubs manager Joe Maddon then suggested Russell take a plate of nachos from the Cubs clubhouse to Gudermuth.
So, Russell hand-delivered the nachos to Gudermuth, walking across the field with a plate of nachos and a big smile. Gudermuth asked for a selfie with Russell, who obliged. The photo quickly went viral after Gudermuth posted it on Twitter. He also changed his Twitter name to "Nacho Man" during the game.
"That gives me a lot more respect for the Cubs team," Gudermuth told the Tribune. "Cardinals all the way. But it definitely gave me a lot more respect for the team. They're not all about fame."
Gudermuth quickly became known as the "Nacho Man" and #nachoman began trending on Twitter. TV and print reporters lined up for interviews, and soon fans were asking Nacho Man to sign autographs and nacho trays, according to the Tribune.
@cardinals thanks for the loaded nachos @cubs thanks for the plain nachos. Thank you cubs and cards. Unforgettable. #nachoman pic.twitter.com/OGvnyfRN7t
— nacho man (@guder82) September 26, 2017
Always keep two hands on the nachos – it’s just fundamentals! pic.twitter.com/Fjnqd4CJNj
— MLB (@MLB) September 26, 2017
@Addison_Russell thanks for the nachos! I also caught your foul ball so that was cool. Good game cubbies #nachoman #nachomanout
— nacho man (@guder82) September 26, 2017
"You don't want to get in front of a man and his nachos," Russell noted in an Associated Press report.
"That was pretty entertaining," added Maddon.
The Cubs and Wrigley Field are 95 percent owned by an entity controlled by a trust established for the benefit of the family of Joe Ricketts, owner and CEO of DNAinfo.com. Joe Ricketts has no direct involvement in the management of the iconic team.
