Bat Flips Fine As Long as Script Can Be Flipped

It’s mid-January but meaningful baseball is being played, including in the Dominican Winter League. Here, San Diego Padres prospect Fernando Tatis Jr. blasts a game-winning home run to lift Estrellas Orientales over Tigres del Licey.

His celebration is punctuated with a bat flip to the moon. Fun-loving people everywhere are loving it.

And that’s fine. Baseball is supposed to be joyous.

But let me find that spot not quite on the “get off my lawn” corner. A spot interested in turnabout being fair play. A place no one really wants to be on but I’ll pay rent on anyway.

I have no problem with a batter showing up a pitcher like this after a home run as long as the pitcher gets to do the same after a strikeout. There’s no reason for one side to have all the fun.

That’s right. Fan a slugger? Twirl your glove like an Old West sheriff doing some gun play. Induce an inning-ending popup with the bases loaded? Do a freaking cartwheel as you head toward the dugout. It’s all on the table, baby.

If you’re into baseball showmanship for a penny, you should be in for a dollar. Pitchers are people too, and therefore should be able to act like circus clowns like their position player brethren.

Considering how many strikeouts are plaguing the game, this will get exhausting. And maybe, in a roundabout way, that’s the best thing that can happen for the no-fun community. A celebration backlash could take hold if it’s taking place 30 times per contest.

Just a thought.