ATLANTA — Not counting spring training or the postseason, Eddie Pérez stands for the national anthem 162 times a year.
No matter its frequency, the pregame ritual that accompanies “The Star-Spangled Banner” is anything but a formality for Pérez, the 57-year-old bench coach for the Atlanta Braves and a former catcher for the club.
The 6-foot-1 Pérez stands ramrod straight. He looks up at the American flag. His left arm hangs by his side. He crisply holds his cap over his chest. He stands still, not shifting his weight from one foot to the other.
He is showing respect.
“Not to myself, but to people here, all the veterans, all the military people,” Pérez told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I always get mad when I see a player moving right in the middle of the national anthem.”