Benches clear after NCAA’s most infamous bat-flipper strikes again
Edgar Michelangeli has become the college baseball version of Jose Bautista in the past few weeks. And by that we don’t mean he’s proven himself to be one of the most consistent hitters in the game.
Nope, the University of Miami third baseman has become the NCAA’s most infamous bat-flipper. And just like Bautista’s iconic postseason homer and subsequent celebration, Michelangeli’s latest has inspired both a lot of anger and a lot of celebration.
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Let’s set the scene: Michelangeli was batting in the seventh inning Sunday in the Hurricanes’ deciding Super Regional game against Boston College. A win and Miami advanced to the College World Series. The ‘Canes were up 5-3 when Michelangeli stepped to the plate with the bases loaded. He cranked a grand slam, putting his team up 9-3 (they’d eventually win 9-4).
Michelangeli certainly took his time admiring the blast and punctuated it with a big bat flip. If that weren’t enough, he talked trash to B.C.’s catcher as he crossed home plate. Here’s a video:
Since this is baseball and Michelangeli’s had broken the unwritten rules — yes, they exist even in college — the benches cleared. No punches were thrown or anything like that. But if you like watching baseball players scurry onto the field to push and yell at each other, here ya go.
After Sunday’s game, Michelangeli explained himself thusly to the Sun Sentinel:
“I was very happy,” Michelangeli said. “I had a lot of emotions going through that at-bat. … It was too loud. I didn’t really hear what [B.C. catcher Nick Sciortino] said. I was happy. I was screaming, ‘Let’s go.’ That’s it. We just had a lot of emotions.”
If Michelangeli’s name sound familiar, that may be because you’re a loyal Stew reader and remember him from two weeks ago in the ACC Tournament, when he hit a clutch ninth-inning homer, did a similar walk-and-watch, then flipped his bat even higher.
In case you’re wondering: Michelangeli doesn’t seem to care much if anybody has a problem with this. Since the end of Sunday’s game, he’s been retweeting people who support his bat-flipping ways. He hasn’t tweeted anything himself, but the message is clear. Here’s one from ex-Miami player Ricky Eusebio, who now plays in the minor leagues for the Seattle Mariners.
Well, this is one thing to put on your College World Series watch list: Will Michelangeli unleash another obnoxious bat flip and, if so, what happens when he does?
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Mike Oz is the editor of Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz
