Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Taylor Walls said his Donald Trump-inspired celebration after Sunday’s hit was not intended as an endorsement of the president.
After hitting a double against the New York Yankees, Walls turned toward the dugout, pumped his fist and yelled, “Fight! Fight! Fight!” Walls was imitating Trump’s gesture after he was shot in the ear during an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania on July 13.
Walls said it’s unlikely there will be another celebration after the hit.
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Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Taylor Walls before playing against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York, on July 20, 2024. (Andrew Morzinski/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
But Walls, speaking before the Rays’ game against Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday, spoke about how moving Trump’s response was after the assassination attempt.
“I think it’s very moving that in an instant, anyone’s life can be taken,” Walls said. “They don’t really understand what’s going on in that moment.”
Rays’ Taylor Walls puts on a Trump-inspired celebration after hitting a double against the Yankees
“To be able to rise up right away and show strength means a lot to me. Anyone that goes through a situation or an event like that is strong when it happens. To me, it shows a kind of character and I feel like I’ve faced similar challenges in baseball, but on a much more subdued level.”
As for why Walls didn’t make the gesture again after the hit, he said, “It’s kind of a joke we have in the locker room with the guys.”
Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Taylor Walls reacts after turning a double play in the top of the second inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on July 21, 2024 in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
“Maybe joking isn’t the right word,” he explained. “It was just something that we were doing together and we thought was kind of funny and we thought that was cool. I don’t think it went any further than that. I don’t think we’ll do it again.”
Wahls did not say who she would vote for in this year’s presidential election, but she did comment on Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw from the race.
“You can read between the lines of how I carry myself, how I was raised, how my family and I work together, how we approach things and how we act,” Walls explained. “That’s what I base my vote and my opinions on.”
Walls grew up in Georgia and played collegiate baseball at Florida State University before being selected in the third round by the Rays in the 2017 MLB Draft.
Tampa Bay Rays’ Taylor Walls bats first base during a game against the Chicago Cubs at Tropicana Field on June 12, 2024 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Mike Carlson/Getty Images)
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Walls, better known for his defensive prowess than his hitting, entered Tuesday’s game with a .160 batting average, .286 on-base percentage and .210 slugging percentage.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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