Many baseball fans were first introduced to actor J.K. Simmons when he played Detroit Tigers manager Frank Perry in “For the Love of the Game,” and Simmons clearly remembers the role quite well.
Simmons attended Monday night’s game between the Los Angeles Angels and Tigers, who are his hometown team. He was interviewed by Bally Sports West during the sixth inning. Before the interview ended, one of the announcers asked Simmons if he thinks Billy Chapel would be able to shut down Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. Simmons, who had just praised both Angels stars during the interview, said that would not be a problem.
JK Simmons in the crowd, Tigers pitchers experiencing whiplash@Angels | #GoHalos | @CarrlynBathe pic.twitter.com/7D7fKMybWx
— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) September 6, 2022
“Billy Chapel could shut down any roster, anywhere, anytime — mostly because of his superior manager,” Simmons joked.
Chapel, played by Kevin Costner, was the main character in “For Love of the Game.” The film came out in 1999, but Simmons rattled that off like it was just yesterday.
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!