How do you make a giant residence run much more memorable? With an epic bat flip.
As a part of its year-end countdown highlighting the highest moments of 2024, MLB Community took a take a look at the most effective bat flips we noticed this previous season. There have been loads to select from as hitters throughout the Majors continued to embrace the artwork of the flip.
Right here’s a take a look at which bat flips made the reduce.
1. Freddie Freeman, Oct. 25 vs. Yankees (World Sequence Recreation 1)Evoking recollections of Kirk Gibson in 1988, a hobbled Freeman despatched the Dodgers to a Recreation 1 victory within the 2024 Fall Basic with a walk-off grand slam — the primary of its sort in World Sequence historical past — off Nestor Cortes. Naturally, the second known as for a traditional bat flip, and Freeman obliged. Watching his towering shot sail into the night time, the slugger raised his bat in triumph as he strolled up the first-base line earlier than letting it tumble from his grip in a remaining flourish. With 4 homers, 12 RBIs and a 1.364 OPS within the collection, Freeman ended up incomes MVP honors because the Dodgers gained all of it.
2. Jhonkensy Noel, Oct. 17 vs. Yankees (ALCS Recreation 3)With Cleveland one out away from falling behind three video games to none within the ALCS, the person often called “Large Christmas” delivered the final word present to Guardians followers: a game-tying two-run homer off Yankees nearer Luke Weaver. The ball was completely demolished and Noel reacted accordingly, casually tossing his bat apart as he accomplished his swing, his eyes nonetheless locked on his majestic blast.
3. Shohei Ohtani, Oct. 5 vs. Padres (NLDS Recreation 1)Enjoying the primary playoff sport of his MLB profession, Ohtani rose to the event with a colossal residence run off Dylan Stop within the backside of the second inning. The slugger punctuated the homer by hurling his bat towards the first-base dugout and let loose a scream because the ball sailed into the seats at Dodger Stadium.
4. Rafael Devers, July 6 vs. YankeesThere aren’t many batters who can say they personal Yankees ace Gerrit Cole, however Devers is definitely considered one of them. Devers savored the second — a lot to Cole’s chagrin — after hitting his eighth profession homer off the right-hander on this sport at Yankee Stadium, taking the time to admire his work earlier than flinging his bat towards Boston’s dugout in celebration.
5. Juan Soto, June 2 vs. GiantsSoto’s tenure with the Yankees solely lasted one season, but it surely was full of memorable moments. A kind of got here in June at Oracle Park, the place Soto slugged a lead-flipping, two-run homer off the Giants’ Camilo Doval within the prime of the ninth inning. For good measure, he unleashed an underhanded flip that despatched his bat crusing end-over-end into the air.
The fiery Naylor was charged up after hitting a tiebreaking homer off Oakland lefty Alex Wooden on April 20, bopping himself on the helmet together with his bat earlier than emphatically spiking it to the bottom.
Ohtani’s memorable bat flip wasn’t the one one we noticed on this yr’s NLDS between the Dodgers and Padres, an emotionally charged, back-and-forth affair that lasted 5 video games. Machado had a giant flip after his first-inning residence run in Recreation 1, whereas Hernández celebrated the second of his two homers in Recreation 5 by flinging his bat towards the Dodgers dugout.
Clearly sad after the Rangers hit teammate Yordan Alvarez with a pitch for the second time in Houston’s April 12 sport in opposition to its division rival, Tucker despatched his bat flying and stared down reliever Brock Burke following his second homer of the day.
Merrill confirmed a aptitude for the dramatic throughout his excellent rookie season, hitting six homers within the eighth inning or later that both tied the sport or gave the Padres the lead. The final of these got here on Aug. 25 in opposition to the Mets, when Merrill broke a 2-2 tie with a walk-off homer in opposition to Edwin Díaz within the backside of the ninth. Merrill was understandably fired up after the clutch blast and celebrated with a memorable bat spike as he hopped up the first-base line.
After belting a go-ahead, two-run homer off Chicago’s Deivi García on April 7 — his third dinger of the collection — the Royals’ Melendez almost carried his bat all the way in which to first base earlier than flipping it into the air.
It’s not typically that you simply see somebody escape a bat flip to have a good time a stroll, however Contreras did simply that after strolling off the Mariners with a bases-loaded free cross in opposition to Seattle nearer Andrés Muñoz within the ninth inning on April 5.
Adames and Logan Webb are actually teammates after the Giants signed the shortstop to a seven-year, $182 million contract in free company. However again in August, Webb and the Giants had been on the other aspect of considered one of Adames’ residence runs, a go-ahead shot that he capped with a trendy bat flip.
