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I will never say another bad thing about Ruben Amaro Jr. ever again.
It’s been two years since Amaro was the general manager of the Phillies, but he hasn’t faded into the ether. He was the first base coach for the Boston Red Sox the last two seasons and, starting next year, will take over as the first base coach for the New York Mets.
That’s right, more Ruben Amaro Jr. at Citizens Bank Park!
But off the field, Amaro Jr. has been busy, as he’s also apparently buffing up his acting resume, once again appearing on the hit ABC sitcom “The Goldbergs” on Wednesday night.
Here’s former Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. (playing his father, Ruben Amaro Sr., on tonight’s episode of The Goldbergs) being told to sit down and shut up. pic.twitter.com/gvNjtbSduq
— Matt Mullin (@matt_mullin) January 4, 2018
This is just gold. Amaro Jr. played his recently-deceased father and former Phillie player Ruben Amaro Sr. in the episode, unsuccessfully volunteering to chaperone a school field trip for reasons not made quite clear in the above clip.
“The Goldbergs” is essentially a love story to the city and its sports teams, with references littered throughout most episodes. The series is based in Jenkintown and, by using Amaro, the show’s creators even recognized the fact that Ruben Amaro Jr. grew up in Philly.
Of course, Amaro Jr. himself was a bit older than the age his son is portrayed in the episode (Jr. would have been in his late teens or early 20s, too old for a school field trip), but don’t let that minor detail spoil a good thing.
The whole thing was very sweet, and funny, and touching, and one hopes more cameos will be coming in the future.