Yasiel Puig to cut down on bat flips

Say it ain’t so, Yasiel Puig, say it ain’t so.

The Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder did not flip his bat after homering in the fifth inning of Monday’s win over the Seattle Mariners, and he says that is by design. Puig, now in his third season in MLB, says he wants to adapt to the American baseball culture by doing less theatrics at the plate, such as fewer bat flips.

“I want to show American baseball that I’m not disrespecting the game,” Puig said of doing less bat flips, via the Los Angeles Times.

Puig has been criticized for his bat flips in the past by people who think he is disrespecting the game and his opponents, but he says that is not the case.

“I don’t do that because I lack respect,” he said. “I do that because of the emotions that I have.”

Even though Puig intends to cut down on his bat flips, he says he still might do them in certain cases. For instance, if he comes through in an emotional situation, it might be his instinct to react that way.

Apparently when Puig sent out that cartoon on Instagram in January, he wasn’t joking. Puig has been criticized by teammates and opposing players for his antics or lack of effort, and it appears he wants to change his image to become more professional. That might mean less excitement for fans, but also fewer moments that make him look like a ding-dong, like this.