[WHY] The not-so subtle art of the Korean bat flip

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Published: 06 Apr. 2024, 08:31 Updated: 06 Apr. 2024, 09:10

[WHY] The not-so subtle art of the Korean bat flip

Bat flipping may be a sin in the United States, but it's an art in Korea.

Bat flipping, known by the onomatopoetic ppadun, combining bat and throw in Korean, is exactly what it sounds like — the act of a hitter flipping their bat through the air in the split second between hitting the ball and starting that long run to first.

It's a form of primal celebration — or at least it is in the KBO.

While bat flips are an accepted and widely celebrated form of celebration in Korea, in the big leagues the act is still often seen as cardinal sin. In American baseball, there is a long-standing unwritten rule prohibiting the bat flip. It's seen as hugely offensive — showboating at its worst and a direct insult to the opposing pitcher, their team and their fans.

In the MLB, bat flips have even led to brawls.

During an April 2019 game between the Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates, right-hander Chris Archer threw behind the Reds’ Derek Dietrich for dropping a bat in a seemingly provocative manner after a home run, leading to a dust-up between the two that quickly involved both dugouts. Dietrich's bat flip — small though it may have seemed by KBO standards — was the trigger, offending Archer to the extent that he took his revenge in that at-bat.

So why is it that a behavior considered so rude in the MLB that some players will intentionally start a fight over it is considered a completely normal part of the game here in Korea?

The NC Dinos' Seo Ho-cheol flips his bat after hitting an RBI single during a KBO game against the LG Twins at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in southern Seoul on Sept. 22, 2023. [NEWS1]

Deeply-rooted tradition

The simple answer to why bat flipping is acceptable in the KBO is because it has always been part of Korean baseball and has never carried the stigma that it does in the United States.

Despite years of research into the Korean bat flip — a topic popular with both Korean media and U.S. media exploring an exciting taboo — nobody has ever been able to pinpoint exactly when the practice started.

“Throughout the years, there have been a few Western media pieces that tried to track down the origin of the bat flip in Korea and there was not one definitive answer,” Dan Kurtz, founder of MyKBO, a website dedicated to providing information about the KBO in English, told the Korea JoongAng Daily.

The practice definitely predates the 1982 launch of the KBO — video footage of a 1960 game between Kyundong High School and a team of ethnically Korean Japanese players clearly features some bat flips and, crucially, no retaliation from the opposing team.

The art of the flip gradually became more common in Korean baseball after the KBO started, with huge stars like Yang Joon-hyuk — affectionately known as "God Yang" — and Hong Sung-heon adopting the bat flip as a signature move.

“KBO legend Yang Joon-hyuk was one of the first KBO players to be known for flipping his bat in celebration,” Kurtz said. “With the influence of Yang's success in the league, the fans loving his celebrations, the increasing influence of sports highlights, and no retaliation by pitchers for such celebrations; it led to bat flips becoming widely accepted in Korean baseball by both the players and fans.”

Rock-and-roll KBO

It is worth noting that the KBO might be a more suitable stage for ostentatious celebrations.

The late Kerry Maher, a dedicated Lotte Giants fan and KBO advocate, once famously told ESPN that he has always said "MLB is like opera, KBO is like rock-and-roll."

As Maher suggests, KBO games have a vastly different atmosphere to MLB games. While the big league experience is often compared to church — sit quietly in your pew and watch the show — the KBO is more like clubbing. There's bright lights, loud music, constant cheering, choreographed music and a lot to drink.

KBO fans still take their baseball as seriously as MLB fans, but they interact with it in a different way. You're not just watching a ball game here, you're part of the action; cheering and chanting along with the rest of the supporters.

Against that backdrop, it's easy to see how the bat flip could shift from a gesture of offensive defiance to just part of the show. In a culture as interactive as that of the Korean ballpark, the bat flip might be more for the fans than the opposing team. It is, to borrow a term from K-pop, almost a form of fan service.

Hanwha Eagles outfielder Chae Eun-Seong flips his bat after hitting a home run during the 2023 KBO All-star game at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan on July 15, 2023. [NEWS1]

“As a baseball fan, I think bat flipping is more like a celebration that batters do to enjoy hits, which heighten the atmosphere of the game,” KBO fan Hwang Ji-sung, who played baseball until middle school and now works as a baseball cartoonist said. “What if a footballer did not celebrate his goal after scoring in order to show respect for the opposing team? Wouldn’t that reduce fans’ enjoyment of the goal?

“The MLB treats bat flipping as provocative or ungentlemanly, but I disagree with this culture. I think it's healthy to let your opponent and their fans enjoy the moment of a home run and acknowledge that your opponent made a good play."

But what does it mean?

It is entirely possible that bat flipping was once intended as a provocative gesture in Korea, although there is little evidence to suggest that. With the origins of the practice essentially lost, it's hard to say whether bat flipping ever meant more to Korean players than simply just being a fun and dramatic way to get rid of a bat.

LG Twins outfielder Austin Dean flips his bat after hitting an RBI double during a KBO game against the Hanwha Eagles at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in southern Seoul on Sept. 1, 2023. [NEWS1]

Some people argue the bat flip is just a natural part of the swing, a follow through of sorts that players have picked up over years of kid's baseball in a country without the stigma. While likely true to some extent, that explanation does not quite stand up when you actually watch a game and note the beat between swing and flip by some of the more showy players.

Whatever the origin, it's highly unlikely that a bat flip is ever intended as a provocation today. Korea generally has a very polite and well-mannered culture, and that is just as visible at the ballpark as it is outside of it. Even the more explosive parts of the game tend to be resolved quickly here — if a pitcher beans a player, that hat comes straight off and they're bowing in apology. Bench clearing is rare, and generally doesn't involve anything more than a bit of pushing.

Big league flip

Despite the unwritten rule that bat flipping is a cardinal sin in the MLB, it has become more prevalent in recent years.

Fernando Tatis Jr. of the San Diego Padres famously flipped his bat in a National League Wild Card game against the St. Louis Cardinals in 2020 — an act so remarkable in the United States that it is literally available to buy on T-shirts, but one which would have looked run-of-the-mill here in the KBO.

But the bat flipped stayed. Over the last few years, the move has slowly become more common in major league games, with the MLB even posting a highlight reel of the season's best bat flips on YouTube. The comments on those videos suggest at least some U.S. fans are happy to see more bat flipping.

“Since the early 2010's when my site, MyKBO, began publishing bat-flips from around KBO on social media, the reaction from American baseball fans has changed from admiring these majestic flips by Korean players to now seeing them highlighted in MLB,” Kurtz said. “These days, it's interesting to see how MLB's social media shows bat flips by their players, when just a decade ago, MLB rarely showed or promoted bat flips; thus why my posted KBO bat-flips would draw such interest in America.”

Doosan Bears infielder Yang Suk-hwan flips his bat after hitting a home run during a KBO game against the Kiwoom Heroes at Gocheok Sky Dome in western Seoul on May 16, 2023. [NEWS1]

A larger audience of American baseball fans also encountered the KBO’s bat flipping culture in 2020, when the MLB was halted due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the KBO was broadcast on ESPN in the United States instead.

The constant appearance of bat flips in the KBO drew a surprising yet positive reaction from viewers, with multiple comments on social media from fans who were surprised to see that such a taboo practice was mainstream in Korea.

That said, pitchers may still view bat flipping as a provocation.

“I only think celebratory behavior on the field is unacceptable when it’s directed toward the opponent — staring at them or yelling in their direction,” Robert Stock, a pitcher for Mexican side Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos with experience playing in both the KBO and MLB, told the Korea JoongAng Daily.

Stock made his MLB debut with the San Diego Padres in 2018, going on to pitch for the Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs and New York Mets before joining the Doosan Bears for the 2022 season.

“I think bat flips are cool, but if you bat flip in a situation that wasn’t very important, or the home run wasn’t prodigious, then it’s a little embarrassing,” Stock said. “The same is true when a pitcher gets very animated after a strikeout in a situation that isn’t stressful.”

More home runs means more bat flips

The increased number of home runs in the MLB could also play a part in the changing perception of bat flipping.

The number of home runs in the MLB has risen significantly over the past decades, with 1.14 home run per game between 2013 and 2022 compared to 0.78 from 1963 and 1972, according to reports by Forbes.

A nearly 50 percent increase obviously led to more acclamation by players and fans during games, leaving opportunities for more celebrations.

San Diego Padres shortstop Dixon Machado flips his bat after hitting a home run during an MLB Seoul Series game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Gocheok Sky Dome in western Seoul on March 21. [YONHAP]

Stock has noted this shift.

"The difference between Korean and MLB culture regarding bat flips has gotten smaller," he said. "It’s more and more acceptable in MLB than it used to be."

Baseball commentator Song Jae-woo, who covers both the KBO and MLB, sees the bat flip as a way of leveling the celebratory playing field.

"Pitchers often pump their fists or punch their gloves on the mound, but hitters are expected to hide their emotions," Song told the Korea JoongAng Daily. I think there is a growing feeling that hitters should be allowed to show their emotions too, and as the number of home runs is on the rise, opposing teams are beginning to accept that bat flips are a form of celebration."

The age of the bat flip?

At least in the KBO, the bat flip is not going anywhere. With no reason to change what is generally seen as a fun quirk of the game, the KBO bat flip is here to stay — especially because the players coming up now are the same once that grew up watching the likes of Yang Joon-hyuk and Hong Sung-heon on the TV and repeating their moves in the playground.

Both the growing popularity of the KBO — boosted further this year by the 2024 MLB Seoul Series, the first major league games ever to be held on Korean soil — and the growing number of balls leaving the park in the big leagues could provide fertile ground for bat flips to grow in popularity in the United States.

The arrival of more Korean offensive players in the majors could also help that trend. While Korean players tend to tone down their bat flips when they move to the United States, both Kim Ha-seong of the San Diego Padres and Lee Jung-hoo of the San Francisco Giants have proven in the KBO that they have a bat flip up their sleeves. If the culture changes in the MLB, those bat flips could creep back into their game.

“There’s always room for more bat flipping," Stock said. "It’s fun to see creative ways batters think of doing it."

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]