‘Cover your ears and raise your fist ceremony’ from MLB… Trump support controversy
St. Louis club: “It has nothing to do with politics… We held a DJ ceremony.”
There is controversy over the appearance of a home run ceremony in Major League Baseball (MLB) that is reminiscent of the incident in which former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, was attacked.
St. Louis Cardinals infielder Alec Burleson hit a solo home run in the top of the third inning with a 1-0 lead in a visiting game against the Pittsburgh Pirates held at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA on the 22nd (Korean time), then rounded third base and headed toward the stands. He made a ceremony by raising his right hand and covering his ear with his left hand.
It reminded me of former President Trump, who raised his fist and shouted “Let’s fight! Let’s fight!” after being hit in the ear by a bullet during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on the 14th.
It’s not just this.
In the top of the 4th inning with a 2-1 lead, St. Louis outfielder Lars Nubba hit a solo home run in the middle of the month, then walked around the ground, bent at the waist, covered his ear with his left hand, and raised his right hand in celebration.
Several colleagues in the dugout also followed this ceremony.
Some netizens criticized St. Louis players for holding a ceremony in support of former President Trump in Pennsylvania, where the attack occurred.
The St. Louis club denied this controversy.
According to a report by CNN on the 23rd, the St. Louis team explained, “Burleson worked as a DJ in college and held a ceremony related to that,” and added, “The players have been holding a DJ ceremony since the beginning of this season.”
St. Louis’ veteran batsman Matt Carpenter also denied in a media interview, saying, “It is far from a political action,” and “Our team has not engaged in any kind of political action.”
A ceremony reminiscent of former President Trump also appeared at the game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the New York Yankees held at Yankee Stadium in New York on the 22nd.
Tampa Bay infielder Taylor Walls raised his right fist and shouted, “Let’s fight! Let’s fight!” after hitting a double to right in the top of the fifth inning.
CNN reported, “We asked Walls about the meaning of the related ceremony through the Tampa Bay team, but did not receive an answer. Manager Kevin Cash only said, ‘I was happy that he hit a double.'”
/Yonhap News
