Major League Baseball (MLB) has sparked controversy over a home run gesture reminiscent of former Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s ear-punching gesture.
St. Louis Cardinals infielder Alec Burleson, after hitting a solo home run in the top of the third inning to take a 1-0 lead against the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S., on March 22 (Korea time), raised his right hand toward the crowd and wrapped his left hand around his ear while rounding third base.
It was reminiscent of former President Trump, who raised his fist and shouted “fight, fight, fight” after being struck in the ear by a stray bullet while campaigning in Pennsylvania on Nov. 14.
It wasn’t the only time.
In the top of the fourth inning, with the score 2-1, St. Louis outfielder Lars Nutbaum hit a mid-month solo home run, then circled the bases, bent at the waist, cupped his left hand over his ear and raised his right.
Some of his teammates in the dugout mimicked the gesture.
Some netizens criticized the St. Louis players for performing the gesture in support of former President Trump in Pennsylvania, where the shooting took place.
“Burleson was a DJ in college, and the gesture was in reference to that,” the team said, adding that the players had been doing DJ gestures since the beginning of the season, according to a report by CNN.
St. Louis veteran slugger Matt Carpenter also denied that the team had engaged in any kind of political behavior, saying in a media interview, “It was far from political.”
The Trump-esque gesture also occurred during a game between the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium in New York City on April 22.
Tampa Bay infielder Taylor Walls raised his right fist and shouted “fight, fight, fight” after hitting a double to right field in the top of the fifth inning.
CNN reported that “Tampa Bay asked Walls for the meaning of the gesture but did not receive a response,” and that “manager Kevin Cash said only that he was ‘glad he hit a double. 메이저사이트