It happens too often: A baseball team takes offense to an opponent celebrating and responds by hitting that player with a pitch. Rather than focus on getting that player out, a team throws out an entire game plan all in the name of the game’s archaic unwritten rules.
With that in mind, more players should be like Nationals pitcher Josh Rogers.
During Monday’s game between the Nationals and Marlins, Jazz Chisholm destroyed a baseball with an upper-deck home run to right field. As he made his way to home, Chisholm broke out a sweet Eurostep before crossing the plate.
Rogers obviously took notice to the celebration, but instead of throwing at Chisholm in Tuesday’s game, Rogers did this:
Jazz Chisholm did a eurostep after homering and Josh Rogers returned the favor pic.twitter.com/eQvI5PUTVU
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) September 22, 2021
The Nats pitcher focused on getting Chisholm out, and after recording the strikeout, he broke out a Eurostep of his own. That’s how it should be done.
These are two teams with no playoff hopes. There’s no reason to let a game get out of hand over a celebration when you can have fun with it instead.
Rogers would also go on to have an excellent game, holding the Marlins to just five hits in 7.2 innings. The Nationals won, 7-1.