Fernando Tatis Jr. has managed to produce the bat flip of the year … even before the start of the MLB season.
The San Diego Padres star Tatis was suited up for his native Dominican Republic during Wednesday’s World Baseball Classic game against Venezuela in Pool D play. In the fourth inning at loanDepot Park in Miami, Fla., Tatis came up to bat with runners on the corners and two outs.
Tatis tattooed a 1-1 offering from Venezuela’s Antonio Senzatela into the left-field seats for a three-run home run to give the Dominican Republic a commanding 7-3 lead. But perhaps even better than the dinger was the bat flip that Tatis uncorked.
In the same motion after launching the pitch from Senzatela, Tatis helicoptered his bat down the third-base line. The bat then landed on the dirt with a dramatic thud as the local crowd in Miami roared in approval.
Here is the video.