Few things in baseball are more polarizing than the bat flip. Some say it shows up the opposing pitcher. Others feel celebrating a little after a big home run is perfectly fine.
Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig — no stranger to being a lightning rod — has revived the art form.
Here’s a look at five of his most memorable bat flips and how they grade out:
vs. Reds, July 28, 2013
Puig hit a walk-off homer in the bottom of the 11th inning to give the Dodgers a 1-0 victory over the Reds.
Artistic Expression: 10/10. There’s nothing like a walk-off homer, and Puig’s immediate raising of his hands earns him the perfect score here.
Acceptable in Context? Walk-off homer = automatically deserved bat flip.
at Marlins, May 3, 2014
[mlbvideo id=”32577839″ width=”680″ height=”400″ /]
Puig connected on a long three-run homer in the top of the fourth inning of what would become an 11-inning, 9-7 win over the Marlins.
Artistic Expression: 9/10. This is the prototypical bat flip. As soon as Puig made contact, he immediately discards the bat — almost scornfully — and breaks into a trot.
Acceptable in Context? Given how far it went, absolutely.
vs. Cardinals, NLCS Game 3, Oct. 14, 2013
In the bottom of the fourth inning with the Dodgers leading 1-0, but trailing two games to none in the best-of-seven series, Puig took an Adam Wainwright offering the other way and flipped his bat high into the air, believing he had hit a two-run homer.
But it bounced high off the wall and Puig had to turn on the afterburners to reach third safely with a triple. The Dodgers lost the series in six games.
Artistic Expression: 8/10. Good execution, solid hold on the pose.
Acceptable in Context? This was a contentious one. Points need to be docked for the ball not leaving the yard, and the high stakes of a close playoff game left Puig open to criticism.
vs. Giants, May 9, 2014
[mlbvideo id=”32749355″ width=”680″ height=”400″ /]
Puig got the Dodgers on the board in the sixth inning with a long solo homer to dead center field off the Giants’ Madison Bumgarner. But Bumgarner took exception to his preening, and they exchanged words along the third-base line.
Artistic Expression: 6/10. No big bat flip from Puig here, just a simple tossing of his bat to the side.
Acceptable in Context? Given that the Dodgers were trailing 3-0, probably not, and it didn’t clear the center-field wall by that much.
at Nationals, May 7, 2014
Puig flies a Tyler Clippard pitch to deep center and immediately tosses his bat aside in anticipation. Slight problem, though: The ball didn’t even reach the warning track.
Artistic Expression: 4/10. As bat flips go, this was rather routine.
Acceptable in Context? Look where center fielder Denard Span hauls it in. Enough said.