Alex Bregman & Juan Soto trade non-bat flips after go-ahead home runs, a breakdown
What Happened
In Game 6 of the 2019 World Series between the Astros and Nationals, Alex Bregman jumped on a 2-0 middle-middle fastball from Stephen Strasburg in the first inning for a go-ahead home run with the game tied 1-1. Instead of a bat flip, Bregman carried his bat all the way down the line and handed it to his first base coach, drawing an awkward reaction. Later, in the top of the fifth with the game tied again, Juan Soto answered with his own home run off Justin Verlander on a 3-1 pitch. Soto mimicked Bregman by carrying his bat down the line, dropping it just before reaching the coach.
Why This Matters
This was tit-for-tat trolling on the sport's biggest stage, and it backfired for Houston. Both homers gave their teams temporary leads, but Washington won Game 6 by a 7-2 final and then took Game 7 to win the franchise's first title. Bregman's bat-carry looked petty in the moment, and several Astros teammates reportedly weren't thrilled with it given the situation. Soto returning the favor turned it into a back-and-forth that fans either loved or hated. The bat-carry itself breaks no rule, but it reads as a flex meant to show up the pitcher without the showmanship of a flip. For Soto, just 20 years old, it was another swing-and-style moment in a breakout postseason that announced him as a star. For Bregman, it became a footnote in a Series his team lost.
At 3.2M views this sits at #43 of 1,583 Jomboy breakdowns, putting it in the top 2.7% of the entire catalog.
Key Moments
Who / What Is Involved
Players: Alex Bregman. Teams: Orioles.
Key Terms Mentioned
Full Transcript
Click timestamps to jump to that momentWe got an awesome little storyline in Game 6 of this World Series. Bregman's up
in the first inning. The game is tied at 1. Outside, off speed, outside 2
-0. Bregman loves his fastballs, jumps on a middle -middle terrible 2 -0 pitch from
Strasburg. Home run to take the lead. Does he bat flip? Does he bat toss?
Nope, no pinwheels. He holds on to the sucker, brings it all the way to
the first base. Coach says, here coach, you take this. Coach says, I don't want
your fucking bat. We got bat boys, dude. Give me a high five. Don't treat
me like I'm your servant. Bregman says, sorry, I thought it'd be funny. Altuve goes,
yikes. I don't know if that one's that cool or that good. Later on in
the game, top 5, the game is tied again. Juan Soto is up, and he's
dialed down the shuffle a little bit. See, he takes the ball there, just goes
with some booty shakes and some rhythm. No shuffling because, you know, he was shuffling
a bit too much. Ooh, now he's in a 2 -0 count. Little scoots down,
little kick. Wants to shuffle more. Itching for the shuffle. Doesn't get it, though. 2
-0 pitch. Does he swing big here? Verlander gives him the fastball. It's high. He
wanted it. Doesn't get it. All right, 2 -1. They're going to go inside.
Soto loves what he sees here. Starts shuffling. Starts getting so cocky. Yup, yup. Love
it. Give me that one again. 3 -1 count. Give me that one again. Turns
to the catcher and says, yeah, be prepared. Bomb. Probably not what he said.
But now he gets the 3 -1. He's going to get the same pitch he
just got. And watch this shit. Statcast about to
lie to you. Bam. That's a bomb. And did he bat flip? Did he bat
drop? Nope. He carries the bat the entire way as well and drops it right
before getting to the coach. He was like, okay, I'll take it. I know the
game we're playing, but you dropped it before you got to me. Soto's like, I
still got a bat drop a little bit. Come on. I mean, you can hate
that Bregman did this. You can hate that Soto did it. But the pettiness, the
storyline, the funness of it, it's entertainment at its highest form. I absolutely
love it.