The bat flip causes an argument amongst many in the baseball world. Jose Bautista defended it.
When athletes do something in sports out of emotion, fans cheer. However, we often don’t think about the fans that don’t cheer and hate that burst of emotion. During Game 5 of the ALDS, baseball fans saw an eruption in the 7th inning once Jose Bautista hit a home run. His immediate reaction-bat flip. It was quite possibly the greatest game I’ve seen in a while but the backlash that Bautista received after it wasn’t necessary. How somebody views the bat flip as a bad thing is a mystery to me.
In the latest entry of Derek Jeter’s Player’s Tribune, Bautista shared his opinion and as expected, defended the bat flip.
It wasn’t out of contempt for the pitcher. It wasn’t because I don’t respect the unwritten rules of the game. I was caught up in the emotion of the moment.
Some the Rangers took exception to it, which I can understand. They were on the other side of that emotion. I’ve been there before. I know how it feels. I’ve been pissed off on a baseball field plenty of times. I’m no angel. Is it out of disrespect? Of course not. It’s because you’re upset and want to win so badly. That’s just part of the game.
After the game, some of the backlash from small sections of the media took on a familiar tone. I’ve heard this before.
“Disrespectful, mocking, showboating.”
One MLB Network analyst went as far as questioning my “character” and my “leadership.”
He attributes much of this celebration to how things are celebrated in his native Dominican Republic.
The reality is that these guys came up playing baseball in an entirely different atmosphere. Come down to the Dominican Republic and experience it yourself. We’re loud. We’re emotional. We’re always singing and dancing. We love to laugh and have a good time. It’s ingrained in our DNA. And it doesn’t change when we’re playing baseball. To us, baseball isn’t a country club game. It’s our national pastime, and it comes packed with emotion.
Baseball needs positive change and emotions have to be apart of the game. Bautista’s bat flip is not a bad thing. In fact, it could even bring more fans that the game desperately needs.
I flipped my bat. I’m human. The emotion got to me. It’s in my DNA. If you think that makes me a jerk, that’s fine. But let’s call it what it is. Let’s not have these loaded conversations about “character” and the integrity of the game every time certain players show emotion in a big moment. That kind of thinking is not just old school. It’s just ignorant.