"It kind of represents character" - Rays' Taylor Walls explains his Donald Trump-inspired hit celebration
Taylor Walls explained that his Donald Trump-esque hit celebration was not a political statement but rather a symbolic gesture to commend an individual's ability to stand up strong in the face of death. Walls said that he's inspired by any person who can show such character because he has faced similar challenges in life, albeit on a much smaller scale.
This past Sunday, the Tampa Bay Rays infielder hit a double off the New York Yankees pitcher Marcus Stroman in the fifth inning of their 6-4 victory at Yankee Stadium.
Walls celebrated the hit by pumping his fists and shouting "Fight, Fight, Fight," which mimicked the actions of Donald Trump in the immediate aftermath of his assassination attempt on July 13.
Taylor Walls spoke to reporters about the celebration ahead of the Rays' series opener on the road against the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday.
“I think it’s pretty inspirational when any person, in the blink of an eye, their life could be taken from them. They don’t really know what’s going on in the heat of the moment," Walls said.
“To immediately stand up and show strength, to me, speaks pretty loudly,” Walls added. “Anyone in that situation or that type of event, when it happens, it’s strong. It kind of represents character to me, and something that similarly I feel like I’ve faced those challenges in baseball, but on a much suppressed level,” he added.
Taylor Walls is playing his fourth season in the major leagues, although he's being used as the backup shortstop by the Tampa Bay Rays this year.
The 27-year-old is one of the weakest hitters in the MLB with a .160/.286/.210 slashline and 47 OPS+. However, he has +4 defensive runs saved in his tally despite playing just 30 games this season.
I don’t foresee myself doing it again: Taylor Walls
Reiterating that his celebration act was not an endorsement for Donald Trump's presidential campaign, Taylor Walls said that it was a lighthearted idea he shared with his teammates in the locker room and that he will not be repeating it again.
“That was kind of more of a joke that we have with guys in the locker room. Joke may not be the right word.
"It was kind of just something that we had together that we thought was kind of funny, that we thought would be all right. I don’t really see that going much further than that. I don’t foresee myself doing it again,” he said.
Taylor Walls has just 13 hits this season, and the double at Yankee Stadium was only the first he had managed since the shooting incident in Pennsylvania.