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ESPN staff
Football has touchdown dances. Basketball has mean mugging after a dunk. Soccer players slide in the grass as their teammates pile on top of them.
Baseball? Baseball has the bat flip.
Long considered something of a faux pas in the game, the bat flip is having a bit of a moment as baseball focuses more on fun. It’s practically an art form in South Korea, where players take pride in their individual bat flip routines, and the World Baseball Classic gives those players — and those from other countries who are getting in on the good times — a chance to strut their stuff.
Here are some of the best bat flips we’ve seen so far in the 2023 tournament.
March 13
Kunwoo Park – South Korea
Kunwoo Park flipped it like he knew it ✌️
Team Korea has put up 18 runs in 4 innings! #WorldBaseballClassic pic.twitter.com/YthqG2271B
— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) March 13, 2023
March 12
Joey Meneses – Mexico
JOEY MENESES WILL NOT BE STOPPED. #WorldBaseballClassic pic.twitter.com/MZIu4jqMwb
— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) March 13, 2023
March 11
Anthony Santander – Venezuela
In the second inning against the Dominican Republic, Santander, who plays for the Baltimore Orioles, smashed a ball from Sandy Alcantara, who pitches for the Miami Marlins, 393 feet for a home run. Santander showed his excitement with a bat flip and an animated celebration as he rounded the bases.
The second deck received a souvenir courtesy of Anthony Santander. #WorldBaseballClassic pic.twitter.com/s9KqI3KAkL
— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) March 12, 2023