Anderson on bat flip: 'I smoked it, I got excited'

DETROIT – One day after Tim Anderson’s bat flip heard around baseball, a flip viewed and dissected countless times over the last 24 hours, the gregarious White Sox shortstop wouldn’t change a thing.

Anderson’s bat flip followed his fourth inning homer off Kansas City’s Brad Keller, who then hit Anderson with a pitch leading off the sixth, which spurred a bench-clearing and bullpen-clearing argument.

“I never looked at one of their players when I hit it,” said Anderson before Thursday’s series opener at Comerica Park, which the White Sox lost 9-7. “I just looked in our dugout and threw the bat.

“It was a bomb. It was a bomb. I smoked it, so I got excited. I wanted to help the bat boy out a little bit, so I threw it to him.”

When asked what he yelled following the bat flip, Anderson smiled and said, “Let’s go!” It’s far more inspirational to the White Sox than anything close to taunting of the other side.

“When I definitely get those guys, I want to celebrate with my teammates. When they get me, they can celebrate with their teammates. I’m not going to get mad at them,” Anderson said. “We are on a new generation, a new wave.

“I think the game is switching and changing to a lot of younger guys. We are getting it. I think that’s what gets guys going. It’s fun doing stuff like that. It’s fun.”

Some of the pros and cons of the situation thrown out on social media caught Anderson’s attention. But he has own take and is not altering his approach.

“That’s what my teammates want,” Anderson said. “It brings a lot of spark to the team and a lot of energy. I think nothing bad on my end.”

“He’s our guy,” White Sox manager Rick Renteria said. “I want him to have fun, and he’s going to continue to have fun.”