There was a celebrity sighting Tuesday at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. Comedian Rob Schneider was seemingly everywhere, courtesy of Pirates pitcher Derek Holland.
Holland, always up for a good laugh, strategically placed cardboard cutouts of the actor around the ballpark prior to Tuesday's game against the Cleveland Indians.
Cutouts of Schneider from movies such as "50 First Dates," "The Benchwarmers" and "The Hot Chick" were placed just behind the outfield wall, along the first-base line, in the bleachers and elsewhere around the park.
Man, @Dutch_Oven45 knows we love celebs at the ballpark.
— Pirates (@Pirates) August 18, 2020
He brought @RobSchneider here as a special guest tonight. pic.twitter.com/OaMRf6BSUI
Holland and Schneider struck up a friendship when the left-hander pitched for the Texas Rangers. The comedian, who is a baseball fan, approached Holland before this season started and asked if he could have a cutout at the stadium.
Holland agreed, but that just set the wheels in motion.
"He hit me up, he asked me, day one, at the beginning of the season, if he could get a cardboard cutout," Holland said Tuesday, according to TribLive. "I said, 'Yeah, I can easily take care of that. I took a little bit longer than I needed, but I made sure it was worthwhile for him. I want to give him something to laugh about. Gotta have fun with it. If we can't have fans in the stands [during the coronavirus pandemic], at least we can make the most of it."
Schneider texted Holland after the game, saying he was amused by the gesture.
"He was basically letting me know that it was pretty cool," Holland said. "He's pretty pumped about it. He's a big baseball guy, so anytime you can get somebody like that to laugh, that's huge. He's also been very, very good to me, giving me some good pointers. He's a funny dude. I appreciate everything he's done."
