MIAMI (AP) – The Miami Marlins have introduced a new kind of victory celebration – a grand slam.
Dee Gordon threw down a dunk on the game’s hero, Christian Yelich, and the video went viral. The Marlins said Saturday the celebration required some careful choreography.
Yelich delivered a walk-off single in the Marlins’ 10-9 victory Friday over Tampa Bay. Moments later, while he was being interviewed on TV, pitcher Mat Latos came up from behind and held a small basketball hoop over Yelich’s head. Gordon used the target for the throw-down in Yelich’s face using a Nerf ball.
The 5-foot-11 Gordon was happy to volunteer for dunk duty. He turned down a basketball scholarship at Louisville only because his father, former major league pitcher Tom Gordon, wanted him to play baseball.