Fansided

Braves pitcher Williams Perez spikes ball after double play (Videos)

ByLen Nunes|
Apr 17, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; A general view of baseballs prior to a game between the Kansas City Royals and the Oakland Athletics at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 17, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; A general view of baseballs prior to a game between the Kansas City Royals and the Oakland Athletics at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

There is a fine line between being a good sport or a poor sport.  Would spiking baseballs cross that line?

The name Rob Gronkowski has become synonymous with the term “spike”.  Some people hate it, some people love it.  What if the idea of “spiking the ball” entered the game of baseball?

In football, the unwritten rule is that you only spike the ball after a touchdown.  I’m sure if anybody tested that theory the referee would be dropping a flag.  What would be the unwritten in baseball for when you could spike the ball?

With the game tied heading into the 4th inning, Atlanta Braves pitcher Williams Perez felt spiking the baseball after a double play to end the frame was appropriate.  Do you agree?

From the looks of the video he wasn’t celebrating the defensive play.  Perez appears to be having a mini-tantrum for putting himself in a 1-out bases loaded jam.  Dude, you’re wrecking it!  Spikes are supposed to be celebratory!

I much prefer the spiking of a ball to the ridiculously complicated handshakes MLB players seem to have cornered the market on.  Maybe it’s time to add a new wrinkle to the celebrations that occur in the game within a game.  The spike could be the defenders answer to the batters “bat flip“.

Suppose I can’t just drop Gronk’s name and not have a video of him spiking stuff.  While you watch the video, just imagine Giancarlo Stanton spiking the ball after making a diving catch in the outfield.

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