As a long time fan of the Chicago Cubs, I’ve seen an unnaturally broken bat or two in my day. Former Cubs all-star pitcher Carlos Zambrano used to do it all the time. If you’re unfamiliar with Zambrano, you may be thinking, “Why would a pitcher be so upset with an at-bat? They’re basically supposed to be bad hitters.”
Well, maybe you don’t know Zambrano. He was a very talented switch-hitter, and held himself to pretty high standards (even at the plate). He also … got a little riled up sometimes. Still, every time he go to break his bat, I’d cringe for fear that he’d hurt himself in the attempt. Then I think about breaking a bat over my own knee, and cringe at the theoretical embarrassment I’d be wearing if when I couldn’t make it all the way through.
Well, the Astros’ Carlos Gomez need not share that fear. He breaks a bat over his knee easier than I could break a toothpick:
And now that you already know that I’m a Cubs fan, I’ll have no reservations embracing the hilarity that is Matt Holliday (Cardinals) failed bat flip … on a walk. How do you fail a bat flip? Why are you bat flipping on a walk? I don’t know the answer to either, but Holliday figures it out:
Not only was it a pretty overzealous bat flip, it came on a ball four pitch that was just barely off the plate. And then, when he tosses his bat in the air, it just about hit the umpire on the head! There’s just something about seeing a Cardinals player fail. It just gets me right in the smile zone.