Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson hit a walk-off home run in the White Sox's 12-11 comeback win over the Detroit Tigers on Saturday night at Guaranteed Rate Field. And he followed up the home run with a bat flip -- a move that's already becoming Anderson's signature celebratory move.
In a game where the Tigers once led 9-2, the White Sox rallied with a five-run, sixth inning to come within one run. The AL Central matchup was tied in the ninth inning, but Anderson blasted a two-out homer off the first pitch from Joe Jimenez to end the game. His bat flip that followed was a must, according to Anderson.
"I knew I had to do it," Anderson told The Athletic's James Fegan. "It's different. I did it again, so I let the people know it wasn't a fluke. It was definitely a great moment."
On April 17, Anderson set the baseball world abuzz with his bat flip against the Kansas City Royals. He homered off Royals' Brad Keller in the fourth inning, and then in the sixth inning, Anderson was hit by a pitch from Keller. The hit-by-pitch led to a bench-clearing scuffle that resulted in a one-game suspension for Anderson and five-games for Keller.
The White Sox-Royals drama sparked a heated debate, with our own Matt Snyder exploring why it would be better for ballplayers to follow MLB's marketing slogan of 'let the kids play.'
Anderson's bat flips this season may be drawing national attention, but it's his numbers that are even more attention-grabbing. In the White Sox's win on Friday, Anderson went 4-for-6 with three runs, two RBI, two walks and a home run. The 25-year-old has already posted his fifth game this season with at least three hits, and he's now batting .402, the second-best batting average in the league. Through 21 games, Anderson has a 1.054 OPS and his 1.5 WAR is tied for third in the league.
Fans can watch Anderson and the White Sox (10-14) continue their three-game series against the Tigers (12-13) via fuboTV (Try for free).
