I’m obsessed with a podcast called A History Of Rock Music In 500 Songs. Being a history podcast, it has an understandable interest in firsts, from the arcane (first Theremin on a pop record) to the momentous (first rock ‘n’ roll song). But it always, always, issues a disclaimer: There are no firsts. As host Andrew Hickey put it this week, in a comment on the so-called first ever rock bootleg album: “As with all these things, it depends on how you define many of those words.”
A couple weeks ago, doing some routine helmets-on-the-field research, I stumbled upon some highlights from Game 4 of the 1983 NLCS. The Phillies won the game to win the series; the big blow was Gary Matthews’ three-run homer in the first inning. This is what that big blow looked like:
Is that the first bat flip in AL/NL baseball? I’m ready to present some evidence for and against (and ultimately leave it unresolved). As with all these things, it depends on how you define many of those words. Let’s take a trip.
1983
First, is that a bat flip?
By one standard, we can say it clearly is: When MLB.com compiled “The Top 50 bat flips in MLB of All-Time,” Matthews was… like, fifth on the list. (Chronologically, it’s the oldest on the list.) I’m not saying the MLB.com video listicle department has the weight of a commissioner’s ruling, but it’s the closest thing we have to an official imprimatur.
There are some counterarguments. One is that it looks nothing like the other 49 flips on that MLB.com list. The other 49 are a varied bunch, but generally fall into three categories: “Recoil” flips, where the batter finishes his swing and then snaps the bat back toward the field or to the ground with force; “Discard” flips, where the batter tosses his bat toward his dugout with enough extra zazz to get it airborne; and “Baton” flips, where the batter tosses it not toward the dugout but up in the air, usually with an emphasis on getting end-over-end action. Matthews does none of those, and his is the only one where the “flip” is not a separate action but carries the full momentum of the swing itself. His is the only one that goes around his back. His is the only one that hits the catcher, yikes.
Matthews, the day of the swing, made an indirect argument against it being classified a bat flip. He said: "I knew the ball was out. I didn't look at it, because I don't want to show up the pitcher.” I don’t want to show up the pitcher. He was denying any action that showed up the pitcher. I don’t personally think bat flips show pitchers up, but many pitchers today do. So was Matthews denying it was a bat flip, or were bat flips at that point—in contrast to 21st Century baseball—not yet seen as showing up the pitcher? Well,
Four Years Later
In 1987 Tom Lawless homered in the World Series and, famously, took what appeared to be an admiring strut1 out of the batter’s box as the ball sailed (barely) over the left-field wall. Then Lawless flipped a big, unambiguous flip:
(This was the no. 1 flip on that MLB.com compilation.)
If bat flips weren’t yet seen as showing up the pitcher, then Lawless’ flip would have gone unmentioned by the other team. It did not. There was a news cycle of surly Twins quotes.
Jeff Reardon: “I couldn’t believe he did that. A lot of guys on this team are ticked.”
Roy Smalley: “It's on everybody's mind. This won't be forgotten, but... this is the World Series and minor transgressions of emotion are forgiven.”
Gary Gaetti: "That was something strange for him to do, seeing that he's hit two home runs in his career. Maybe he knows he could hit 30 or 40 a year if he played everyday, but if you do that enough over the course of the season, I'm sure he'll get a lot of dents in his helmet. If I was pitching, I wouldn't forget it.”
Don Baylor: “Tom Lawless? You've got to be kidding. … A lot of guys have hit a lot of homers and they've never put on a show like that. You hit a home run, run around the bases. That's it. If I was a pitcher, the next time up—World Series or not—here it comes. Up and in, right here." Baylor pointed to an area between his neck and his head. Some one wondered exactly which part he had in mind. "It's all attached," he said.
Even Lawless himself: “After I saw it (the replays) I figured I'd get some criticism (from the Twins). And I would understand. Hey, if they want to knock me down, there's nothing I can do about it.”
So, four years after Matthews’ homer, we have confirmation that bat-flipping got players’ attention—though, here’s something important: A lot of the criticism and commentary on Lawless’ flip was specifically about Tom Lawless, scrub with two career homers, admiring his shot. In fact, Lawless’ reaction was frequently compared mockingly to Reggie Jackson’s home run reactions: "Quite a show, worthy of replay on Reggievision,” one report said. “It’s right up there with Reggie’s,” said Lawless’ manager, Whitey Herzog.
We’re going to have to come back to Reggie Jackson in a little bit. Let’s get back to Matthews, though, because we still haven’t answered the first question.
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