The Men's College World Series is in the books after the LSU Tigers downed the Florida Gators 18-4 on Monday. And in that game, we saw some of the best camaraderie you'll ever see in sports.
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In the best-of-three series, the Tigers won Game 1 but then lost in historic fashion to the Gators by a margin of 24-4. After such a crushing loss, fans were curious to see how the Tigers would respond — and they did so in a massive way en route to winning the title.
At the end of the game, star pitcher and MLB prospect Paul Skenes was seen carrying catcher Alex Milazzo to the victory dog pile. This was an amazing example of camaraderie, because Milazzo had to exit the game prematurely after being injured when he awkwardly stepped on home plate while scoring in the fourth inning.
Alex Milazzo scores from First but he is down in discomfort. Hope it’s nothing serious. pic.twitter.com/T3Vpv1ueja
— Mr Matthew CFB (@MrMatthewCFB) June 27, 2023
At the end of the game, when the Tigers recorded the final out — a strikeout of Gators infielder Colby Halter — Skenes put Milazzo on his back and carried him to the victory celebration at the pitcher's mound.
LSU catcher Alex Milazzo had to leave the game early after injuring himself badly on an awkward slide at home
so what did he do for the dogpile when LSU got the final out?
Paul Skenes had him covered: pic.twitter.com/W7hGblAzK4
— Céspedes Family BBQ (@CespedesBBQ) June 27, 2023
After the game, it was announced that Milazzo had fractured his shin. He was seen on a makeshift wheelchair going to celebrate once again with his teammates outside the Omaha stadium.
Alex Milazzo, who fractured his shin in the 4th inning, finding creative ways to participate in the celebration #LSU #MCWS #GeauxTigers pic.twitter.com/NC2u1ImS6i
— LSU Tiger TV (@lsutigertv) June 27, 2023
Before he exited the game, Milazzo — batting out of the nine hole — went 1-for-1, scoring two runs and being walked twice. He wanted to keep playing, but LSU staff wouldn't let him. Still, he would trade a broken leg for a national title any day.
"If I had to trade a broken leg for a national championship, I'd do it every time."
Zachary's @LSUbaseball national champion Alex Milazzo.
"I tried to keep playing. They wouldn't let me." https://t.co/s6jViz2QE6 @WAFB pic.twitter.com/OyTasv3m31
— Jacques Doucet (@JacquesDoucet) June 27, 2023
As we head toward the MLB Draft on July 9, Skenes and outfielder Dylan Crews are viewed as the top two prospects. Crews is projected to go No. 1 to the Pittsburgh Pirates, while Skenes may head to the Washington Nationals — or vice versa. As for the No. 3 prospect, we should expect Florida outfielder Wyatt Langford to go off the board to the Detroit Tigers.
The 2023 college baseball season is over, and both the Tigers and Gators have teams we'll remember for quite some time.
