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Fan lands contract after hitting home run on fan appreciation night

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Renzo Pocholo Salao | Last updated Aug 5, 2025 9:23 AM ET

The wild ride continues for the fan who hit a home run during the Portland Pickles’ fan appreciation night.

A young man named “Dixie” made headlines over the weekend after he was randomly selected to take an at-bat for the Pickles as part of a fan promotion. Dixie drew a walk and scored a run his first time up, which earned him one more plate appearance later in the West Coast League contest against the Portland Gherkins at Walker Stadium in Portland, Ore.

To say that Dixie was able to put the ball in play the second time around would be a huge understatement. He crushed a two-run home run to deep left-center field to help lead the Pickles to victory.

The fan appreciation night home run impressed Pickles manager Mark “Mags” Magdaleno enough that he felt compelled to offer Dixie a contract.

“I was so impressed by the swing when I saw it,” the Pickles skipper said on Sunday with Dixie by his side. “I’ve watched it over and over and over again. I said to myself, ‘Who is this kid?’ … On my last day, regular season, as the Portland Pickles manager, I am going to offer you a contract for the rest of the season to be a Portland Pickle.”

We have officially signed Dixie to a one-day contract with the Portland Pickles. pic.twitter.com/YeQCpQp5kr
— Portland Pickles (@picklesbaseball) August 3, 2025

The deal is a one-day contract, which will take effect for the Pickles’ final regular season game against the Corvallis Knights. Magdaleno also said that he can’t guarantee Dixie will play, but he’ll at least be given a uniform that matches the rest of the team this time.

The Pickles’ season-ending three-game series against the Knights could have huge implications heading into the postseason. The two teams entered Monday’s series opener with the two best records in the league, separated by just one game in the standings. That diminishes Dixie’s chances of getting any meaningful at-bats during the contest he suits up for, especially with the defending-champion Pickles looking to repeat.

Some questioned just how “random” Dixie’s selection truly was, given the evident baseball skill he showed during his stints at the plate. Internet sleuths later discovered that Dixie’s true identity: college baseball player Eli Steinhaus (h/t BroBible’s Jacob Elsey).

Random or not, there was no faking Steinhaus’ home run with thousands of fans watching him that night. Who knows, maybe Magdaleno looks his way should the Pickles need a pinch hitter during the regular season finale.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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