Rays' Pete Fairbanks Says He Got a Black Eye After Dunking on 3-Year-Old in Pool

Teaching kids a lesson often comes with a heavy price tag.

And Tampa Bay Rays' reliever Pete Fairbanks—fresh off the IL after recovering from a hip injury—learned that the hard way.

In his first day back with the team Thursday, Fairbanks showed up with a new ailment, a black eye. But it didn't come from his time on the diamond, instead this new injury came during one of his intense sessions of pool basketball with his three-year old son.

With his son standing underneath the basket "unawares," Fairbanks decided to show his child what happens to people who don't respect the rules of the paint and dunked on him. In the process, he pulled down too hard on the rim and it hit his face.

While he'll take the ridicule from everyone in the clubhouse, Fairbanks' return to action will also have the rest of his teammates buzzing.

Coming back from the 15-day IL after undergoing a bout of hip inflammation, Fairbanks is ready to continue contributing to the best team in all of MLB. In an appearance Monday with the Rays' affiliate in the Florida Coast League, he struck out two hitters in a perfect inning.

Fairbanks is one of Tampa Bay's best relievers with a 1.26 ERA and 48:8 strikeout-to-walk- ratio in 35.2 innings since 2022.

At 49-22, the Rays sit atop of the AL East by 4.5 games and have the best record in baseball.