Matt Carpenter's explanation of viral celebration is the last thing Cardinals fans expected
By Curt Bishop
![St. Louis Cardinals v Washington Nationals St. Louis Cardinals v Washington Nationals](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_6993,h_3933,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/GettyImages/mmsport/229/01j3dfjgfk260j2v76qw.jpg)
The St. Louis Cardinals powered their way to a 6-2 win over the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on Sunday afternoon and secured a series win to climb to five games above the .500 mark. The team hit four solo home runs, one of which came off the bat of Alec Burleson, who shares the team lead in home runs with Nolan Gorman.
Unfortunately, the team got a little unwanted attention with their home run celebration when certain fans falsely accused them of mimicking the "fight, fight, fight" gesture by former President Donald Trump following his assassination attempt last week.
However, Matt Carpenter clarified that the team was not making a political statement, but rather paying homage to Burleson's days as a rapper in college.
"Burleson is a former college rapper," the veteran infielder said. "He's been carrying us at the plate. The celebration is the furthest thing from a political statement."
Is this a Trump home run celebration by the Cardinals? pic.twitter.com/f2XrQr0q3u
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) July 21, 2024
Matt Carpenter clarifies Cardinals home run celebration
As expected, this was all blown out of proportion thanks to false accusations. The Cardinals were not making a political statement, and the celebration had nothing to do with the assassination attempt on President Trump.
Instead, the celebration is an inside joke with Burleson. The gestures, as explained by Carpenter, are meant to mimic a DJ as a reference to Burleson, who is constantly referred to as 'Biscuit' in the clubhouse, his college rap name.
"It's slowly catching on," Carpenter said. "I don't know who, or the first official guy to do it on the field, but it was for sure in the first half. It picked up steam in this series, for sure."
The Cardinals now own a record of 52-47 and depart Atlanta for a three-game series with the Pittsburgh Pirates this week. The celebration has gained some unwanted attention from those on social media, who have misconstrued the meaning of it.
If anything, it's a way for the players to have fun and bond with one another. Sunday was obviously not the first time the Cardinals have celebrated in such a manner, and this celebration was a thing long before the assassination attempt.
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