Marlins: Brett Hayes has close encounter with turnpike gunman

Florida Turnpike, ridin’ on a wet night `neath the not-so-finery’s glow…

Hayes and his wife were driving to a birthday party about 6 p.m. when traffic came to a sudden standstill on the northbound side of the turnpike near the Hollywood Boulevard exit. Hayes said that, moments later, a man appeared from out of the pouring rain, walking next to the concrete barrier in the center median.

    His first reaction: “Why is a man walking down the turnpike?”

    But then, to the catcher’s shock, he noticed that the man was carrying a gun.

    “He and I made eye contact, and he looked like he was up to no good,” Hayes said. “Something was very wrong. I just had a very bad feeling. My wife and I were in shock. I told her ‘Do not look at him.’ He was walking like he was walking down the street. It was really creepy. but his face….it was pretty scary to be honest with you.”