Arrieta Loses Bet, And The Consequences Are Life-Changing But Hilarious

The Chicago Cubs may be tearing up the league, but the team’s official site reports that their star starting pitcher Jake Arrieta is the one who loses big after his Alma mater, Texas Christian University (TCU), was defeated in the college baseball world championships on Saturday. Now, Arrieta has to change his body forever by getting an unwanted tattoo, and it is all the fault of a bet Jake made.

In what Yahoo Sports points out was a pretty juvenile move, Jake Arrieta placed a bet with his Chicago Cubs teammate, second baseman Tommy La Stella, before yesterday’s game. Arrieta is an alum of TCU and La Stella is a graduate of Coastal Carolina University, one of the other teams that was competing in this year’s NCAA playoffs. The two had a bet that whoever’s school’s team was knocked out of the playoffs first had to get a tattoo displaying the other school’s letters.

The Horned Frogs, TCU’s squad, were recently defeated two games in a row by the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers, which means TCU is going home and CCU is going to the College World Series in Omaha. It also means Arrieta lost the bet and has to emblazon himself with the letters “CCU.”

“When we get back to Chicago we’ll get [Arrieta] tatted up for life.”

La Stella saw the fact that Arrieta lost their little bet as extremely funny, maintaining a joking tone while discussing the situation, including when he was asked if Arrieta, as a stipulation of the bet, will have to show off the tattoo on camera after being marked forever.

“If it’s a body part that’s visually acceptable, absolutely,” he laughed.

Presumably, that means that, even though he won the bet, La Stella will be a gentleman and let his teammate choose the location of his new ink/reminder that he loses the bet.

“I’ll be checking in as often as I can,” La Stella finished gleefully.

Coastal Carolina heads to #CWS Finals for 1st time in history! Chanticleers defeat TCU, 7-5, and will face Arizona. pic.twitter.com/gdGgcGQAas

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 26, 2016

One would think Arrieta would be having a hard time with the bet’s outcome since he loses very rarely and is not used to getting the short end of the stick, but he is actually dealing with the loss of the bet very well and does not seem in any worse spirits than La Stella.

“You have to come to the realization that somebody has to go home. That’s the tough thing about it — there’s so many teams that could be in the finals. It’s who’s going to play the cleanest game that day. Coastal was that team [on Saturday],” said Arietta jovially in the wake of the bet.

“I’ll wear it proudly. We lost fair and square.”

This is especially surprising considering Arrieta’s intimate history with the TCU Horned Frogs losing the playoffs. He was on the team when they were eliminated in 2006, and, although he had not lost a bet that time, Arrieta said a baseball player never forgets the pain felt when their team loses their playoff spot.

“We wanted to be better. We didn’t want to have that feeling again,” Arrieta reflected.

Dang good day. Best part – a car w/TX plates & #TCU sticker honks & hangs out #GoFrogs handsign in Derby, KS. #FFL pic.twitter.com/Pu6u6jHvf9

— 1 Brave_2 Frogs Mom (@2frogsmom) June 18, 2016

Saturday’s loss was not the first time TCU and CCU had faced off in the playoffs this year, and it was not the first bet Arrieta and La Stella had participated in, either. During the two teams’ first game against each other (Saturday’s meeting was their third), Arrieta and his teammate had bet that whoever’s team loses has to dress up as the opposing team’s mascot. TCU won that one, and now La Stella will have to don the horned frog attire, although it was not mentioned when or for how long he will have to do so. Of course, La Stella only loses some face with his punishment for losing the first bet, whereas Arrieta’s punishment is much more long-term. We’re willing to bet Arrieta would gladly trade fates.

In a sly move, though, Arrieta has decided to get a blacklight tattoo rather than traditional black ink, so he won’t have to make any awkward and embarrassing explanations about losing a silly bet when people spot his tattoo at a party now that he lost. Unless it’s a blacklight party, that is.

[Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images]