He didn't have a baseball, so a man wearing a Mets caps tossed him a pristine ball, and the great closer happily showed off the grip that has made him the major league's saves leader.
At 29, Robinho, a man who boasts 90 caps for Brazil and once a key figure for the likes of Real Madrid and Manchester City, now looks a shell of his former self, as evidenced by the fact that he is now usually a fixture on the substitute's bench and has made just two starts since November.
They could hardly have wished for a better reward for their efforts as Black Caps danger-man McCullum skipped down the track and drove the superb Abdul Razzaq (2-17) to Fawad Alam at point.