Ozuna does every celebration on 2nd HR trot
This is a full home run party
Michael Clair
@michaelsclairMarcell Ozuna and the Braves know how to party. That much is obvious. So, when Ozuna hit his second home run of the game in Thursday's Game 4 of the NLCS against the Dodgers to give Atlanta an 8-2 lead in the eighth inning on the way to a 10-2 win, he knew just what to do with his home run trot: Namely, every celebration possible.
So, like a scout, we're going to break all these down. You know, because scouts only focus on the silliest things in the world.
Let's see if we can catch all of them.
1. Deion Sanders high step
As Ozuna rounded first base, he appeared to do a slightly awkward, almost-limping version of Deion Sanders' famous high step celebration. Obviously, this is a nod to the former two-sport star and Atlanta Braves great -- Sanders hit .277 and stole 75 bases in his four seasons with Atlanta. When others are watching game film of upcoming pitchers, I assume Ozuna is watching old highlights to figure out home run celebrations.
Compare this:
To this:
Yeah, it might not be the best high step, but hey, practice makes perfect**.** And what's that move Ozuna transitioned to following his Neon Deion impression? Glad you asked:
2. The Eurostep
Anyone who watched the NBA playoffs knows just how powerful a good Eurostep is. Defenders feel silly as they are blitzed by a guy bopping back and forth as he drives down the lane. While I wish Ozuna finished this with an air-dunk, it's still a pretty sharp move.
3. The fancy dab
I'm not quite sure what the point of the twirling hand is other than it's how I imagine wealthy aristocrats dab when they're done eating quail eggs during their eight-course meals.
4. Mix it up
Ah, yes, Ozuna had to go with this one. This is the Braves' team-wide celebration, so the home run probably wouldn't have counted if he forgot to include this.
Just as Ozuna did it on the bases, the bench also got into the act:
5. The selfie
Ever since debuting this one against the Reds in the Wild Card Series, the Braves have been celebrating home runs by taking "selfies" in the dugout. Well, Ozuna didn't want to wait to get back to the dugout. So, he paused around third base, waited for third-base coach Ron Washington to pop his head into frame, and snapped the pic.
6. The plate crossing
Ozuna decided that the selfie was going to be the big final celebration, but for every Braves fan out there, they were just happy to see him put his feet on home plate to extend the lead.
Of course, Ozuna wasn't the only player going wild. As he's been doing all game, Ronald Acu?a Jr. went nuts in front of the Braves dugout:
Something tells me that should the Braves close out the NLCS, these little celebrations are not going to compare to the all-out hullabaloo we'll see in the Fall Classic. They'll go for the series victory Friday night at 9:08 p.m. ET on FS1.