The epic 7th inning of game 5 of the ALDS.
You can read an excellent write up of the game here. In a nutshell, the Rangers took the lead on the play where Russell Martin's throw back to the mound hit Shin Soo Choo in the batters box and rolled away. Rougned Odor scores, chaos ensues and that half of the inning took forever.
Move to the bottom of the 7th inning and the Rangers melt down, with three errors on three consecutive plays. Another miscue, but not an error, by Odor and the game is tied again. That brings up Jose Bautista who eventually hits a three run bomb that was the difference in the game.
As soon as Bautista hits the no doubt homer, he gives the epic bat flip that Topps immortalized on his 2016 card.
No one is a bigger Ranger fan than me. No one. No one yelled louder at the TV when Bautista hit the homer. No one. However, I never thought for a single second that the bat flip was wrong. I never thought it was disrespectful. In what was the biggest moment in his career to that point, Bautista hit a bomb that put a cap on a 53 minute, insanity filled inning. It was an epic moment for him, for the Blue Jays and ultimately the nail in the coffin for the 2015 Rangers.
I do think the "4th inning, we're down by 7, solo shot" bat flip is stupid. I think this one was the frosting on the cake that was the Blue Jays comeback in that game.
Now, can we just get Spring Training here so I can look forward to something instead of back at this?
You're the first non-Jays fan I've read who didn't have a problem with the flip.
ReplyDeleteI hope the season goes well for the Rangers this season.
Thanks.
DeleteI loved the bat flip. Baseball has a ton of stupid "unwritten rules." Like you said, the moment was the biggest in Blue Jays since their early 90's World Series runs. It should be enjoyed.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Even though the homer broke my heart.
DeleteI think nearly every bat flip is fine. It's a game, and it's entertainment. People should enjoy the game for that, and the players should enjoy themselves as well when they do something good.
ReplyDeleteI get what you're saying, but sometimes it's just dumb in my opinion. It's like a defensive back blowing up a receiver and jumping up and down like he just won the Super Bowl...all while trailing by 30 points.
DeleteThe Flip is everywhere. It may become a stamp. It might displace the Queen off of the $20... It's on t-shirts and posters. Commercials and billboards.
ReplyDeleteThey're still trying to figure out how to get it into radio ads..........
No doubt.
DeleteJose hasn't had to pay for a meal in Toronto since..
DeleteI'm with you. As a Rangers fan, it was painful, and I would be lying if I said I didn't get pissy when it happened. Fact of the matter is, though, that if the Rangers don't make three errors, Bautista doesn't bat and doesn't get the chance to crush the ball. That being said, I'm just as much in favor of pitchers throwing something high and tight after these displays, because that kind of reaction should be allowed both ways. But my opinion matters less than literally everyone else's. lol
ReplyDeleteI don't have a problem with pitchers pitching in. The plate is theirs and if you crowd it...
DeleteI thought.the flip was justified in this case
ReplyDeleteAs much as it hurts to recall the game and play, I think it was fine.
DeleteI'm a second-rate Rangers fan and even though I was pulling for them, I had the same raucous reaction you describe here. It was just such a pure "THIS IS WHY BASEBALL IS AWESOME" moment that transcended rooting interests. I feel like the bat was probably buzzing with the excitement of 100s of millions of baseball fans and Bautista had to flip it before it electrocuted him.
ReplyDeleteWell my reaction wasn't one of joy, but I did understand the bat flip.
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