MLB makes Braves stop home run celebration
from Victor Barbosa, with YardBarker.com/www.yardbarker.com
Major League Baseball is putting an end to the Atlanta Braves’ oversized hat home run celebrations.
According to a report by ESPN’s Joon Lee, MLB has told the team they can’t use the oversized cap to rejoice after long balls anymore after the league received complaints from New Era, the manufacturer of the official on-field hat.
Per Lee, Atlanta started the celebration after a local sports memorabilia collector called “More Than Sports” gave the cap to relief pitcher A.J. Minter and second baseman Ozzie Albies during the opening weekend of the season.
The hat had gotten plenty of use in the early weeks of the campaign, as the Braves rank third in MLB in home runs (40), trailing only the Tampa Bay Rays and Los Angeles Dodgers. Albies is tied with first baseman Matt Olson for the team lead in dingers with seven.
According to Lee’s report, the unique celebration had become a “fan favorite” in the early part of the season, “inspiring social media content.” The absence of the cap this week has drawn “negative feedback” on social media, according to the report.