Jose Bautista bat flip joins goal celebrations in NHL 17

Goal celebrations have been a cherished part of EA Sports’ NHL series, where they can exist freely and without the death stare of fun-smothering critics seeking to make sports an unenthusiastic variety of vanilla.

It’s a safe space for flamboyancy, which is why we’re happy they’ve provided a happy home for Toronto Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista’s infamous “Joey Bats Flip” in NHL 17.

#PS4sharehttps://t.co/h8AXvslUP0 pic.twitter.com/cXym65ANyc

— Marc Quill (@MarcQuill) July 28, 2016

Executed after his series-clinching homer against the Texas Rangers last October, the bat flip became a signature move in baseball and a point of criticism for old-school fans and players like Goose Gossage, who called it a “disgrace.”

(If this were a “$25,000 Pyramid” category, it would be “Something a Pitcher Would Say About a Home Run Celebration.”)

Toronto Maple Leafs fan @MarcQuill on Twitter discovered the new gimmick during the game’s beta phase, as it joins of a collection of celebrations both sublime and ridiculous in the player customization process. That a Leaf can celebrate like a Jay is some level of Toronto sports singularity, we imagine.

This is cool. Well, as long as “MLB 17: The Show” incorporates Teemu’s shotgun gun celebration.

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Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at [email protected] or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.