SportsBaseballIndians

Actions

Body cam footage of the moment an officer burned Jason Kipnis (and turned his season around)

Posted at 12:36 PM, Jun 27, 2019
and last updated 2019-06-27 12:36:02-04

CLEVELAND — Back in May, Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis posted to Instagram about a run-in with a particularly witty Cleveland police officer after he was caught speeding to Progressive Field.

Newly-released police body camera footage confirms that yes, the burn was just as savage as Kipnis said it was.

Kipnis was driving on I-90 eastbound to Progressive Field on May 6 at 5:09 p.m., the same day as a home game against the White Sox.

The officer on the recording calls in his location as I-90 eastbound just before 44th Street.

The officer walks up to Kipnis’ 2005 Bentley Coupe and said he stopped him for speeding. Kipnis replies with a resigned “yep.”

The officer asks: “Is there a reason for your excessive speed?”

Kipnis appears to respond: “Late to the field – didn’t pay attention.”

The officer returns to his cruiser, then walks back to Kipnis’ car to pitch a fastball Kipnis definitely didn’t see coming.

“Maybe you should practice batting 100 instead of driving 100! Take it easy!” the officer said before walking back to his cruiser and letting Kipnis go on his way.

Kipnis himself posted the whole interaction to his Instagram page:

It seems like Jason took the officer’s advice to heart. He brought his hitting average up from a .190 in May to a .246 today.

RELATED: Kipnis handed a savage burn, but no speeding ticket, by Cleveland police