Walk-off celebrations are a pure form of joy. Grown adults reduced to childhood behaviors, some pre-planned and others spontaneous. In those fleeting moments of celebration you are reminded of what often gets lost in professional sports, that the foundation of the games we love were set long ago on much smaller diamonds and with a lot less attention.
But regardless of age or field, a sudden victory is meant to be celebrated. When DJ LeMahieu hit a line-drive single into center field on Sunday to win the game for the Yankees , it set off a series of theatrics that has come to define walk-off wins. Each walk-off hit follows a similar pattern, an artform that is unique to this game and these moments.
I felt a breakdown of what transpired was needed. The first thing I noticed watching LeMahieu see the ball get through the infield was the relief from a man who has struggled at the plate this season. LeMahieu isn’t exactly one to show emotion, so to see a slight bat flip and excitement proved just how much this moment meant to him.
There is something sudden about winning and losing. The beauty and the anxiousness that accompanies not knowing what is going to happen next. Then, the pressure of the moment is suddenly released, like an overfilled balloon that suddenly pops.
The bench reacts like a group of caged animals waiting to get out — realizing they have found their moment and are about to take advantage. Arms raised high, smiles from ear to ear, an intimate moment between teammates that breaks up the mundane and grueling nature of summer baseball. These small moments are often forgotten but provide an energy lift amongst the pressure that comes with 162 games.
The dugout reactions to DJ pic.twitter.com/EUg6D9s2cn What happens next can only be described as youthful exuberance.
The animals are loose! Joe Girardi mentioned how it was the younger players that got to LeMahieu first — fresh legs I guess. Wells’ face says it all, as he is one of the first to greet the walk-off man. From pies in the face to ripped-off jerseys, teams often adopt a tradition during these moments of celebration and the Yankees may have just found theirs.
After Weaver high-steps his way from the dugout, hat backward, with Poland Spring in tow, he properly douses LeMahieu with an early shower. Traditional, effective, and gets the job done during a celebration. But out of nowhere comes Nestor Cortes armed with an unexpected substance typically used to aid and not incite — baby powder.
Fresh off a water bottle baptism, maybe Nestor was attempting to keep his teammate dry but ended up creating a cloud dense enough to make his teammates disappear. Is the baby powder celebration here to stay? Play that hit, DJ. pic.
twitter.com/9Qy4WlOKes Once the (baby powder) dust settled, it was time for the postgame interview. For a man who does not like the spotlight, LeMahieu needed an out from all the attention and he got one in the form of an Aaron Judge cooler dump.
The second the walk-off hero got doused, he abandoned his postgame interview duties, abruptly leaving the field. If only he had Nestor to provide a smokescreen a second time. ⚠️ Water may cause LeMachine to malfunction #RepBX pic.
twitter.com/LnKwAyZid9 The Yankees have won seven of their last eight, and the mood is good for a team coming out of a brutal stretch. As new players get acclimated, a perfect way to bring a team together is winning.
Winning in walk-off fashion only makes it sweeter. Let the kids be kids, and also let the adults be kids too..
