After missing their flight out of Phoenix, Arizona, four minor league baseball players opted to take a seven-hour Uber ride to Albuquerque, New Mexico. ESPN reports that relief pitcher Mark Lowe, infielder D.J. Peterson, first baseman Dan Vogelbach, and pitcher Pat Light of the Tacoma Rainiers skipped out on booking a rental and instead used the ride-hailing service for the trek. This is the second known case of athletes taking a long-haul Uber journey after NFL player Shareece Wright went on a similar $932 ride in June.
To avoid a 3:00 a.m. wake up call for a team flight, the four players decided to book their own flight to the Wednesday game. After missing the plane's departure, they booked an Uber ride and rode along for the 421-mile drive. Peterson tweeted a screenshot of the map, mentioning how unhappy he was with American Airlines in the meantime.
Thanks at @AmericanAir for making @DanielVogelbach and I do this last night. #bebetter #havebettercustomerservice #Unbelievable pic.twitter.com/QlWoPgL5pw
— D.J. Peterson (@DJPeterson) July 17, 2017
Lucky for Hemant, he was rated five stars for his services. The tweet didn't include his tip, but hopefully it was worth his time. When Shareece Wright took his famed Uber ride last month, he reportedly left a $300 tip—not bad for a day's work.
The Rainiers lost the game 6-5 with Vogelbach and Peterson batting just 1-7, managing one RBI. Neither Lowe nor Light pitched during the game, but at least they were there to watch as their teammates played after being squished in what was likely a Toyota Camry.