Michael Schwimer (ESPN.com)

JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Boston Red Sox rookie Ryan Lavarnway collected his first MLB hit in a 7-1 drubbing of the Kansas City Royals on Friday, going 1/4 in the DH slot.

The rookie catcher hit an opposite-field single off Royals P Jeff Francis in the 5th inning (see video) and drew a walk off of P Nathan Adcock in the 9th.

He wasn’t the only Jewish newbie to reach a personal milestone Friday. Philadelphia Phillies reliever Michael Schwimer has yet to make his MLB pitching debut, but that didn’t stop him from earning the #3 spot on ESPN’s Not Top 10 Plays feature. Video footage of the 6’8″, 240-pound Schwimer (see screen grab, above) showed him walking onto the field wearing a pink feather boa, pink purse, and Tweeted.

Philly fans may wish Schwimer had taken the mound Friday. The team’s 4-2 lead vanished when reliever Ryan Madson gave up 6 runs in the bottom of the 9th inning, including a walk-off grand slam HR by 3B Ryan Zimmerman.

(That’s three players named “Ryan” in the game, if you’re counting.)

Lavarnway’s single and walk came after frustrating earlier at-bats, including two in which he ended two-out, bases-loaded rallies.

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