From 'AOK' to bat spike: Stott breaks down viral slam video
Todd Zolecki
@ToddZoleckiATLANTA -- Brennen Stott is Bryson Stott's older brother.
Brennan shot Bryson a text after he hit the second grand slam in Phillies postseason history on Wednesday night in Game 2 of the National League Wild Card Series at Citizens Bank Park. Stott¡¯s slam and subsequent bat spike rocked the ballpark and captured the imaginations not only of Phillies fans but of baseball fans everywhere.
¡°No way you¡¯ve seen a video of yourself this many times,¡± Brennan texted.
Stott hadn¡¯t.
¡°Every time I open Instagram or [X] or something, it¡¯s a different outlet posting it,¡± he said.
No highlight has been more enjoyable or popular to watch than a 1-minute, 57-second clip of Stott¡¯s slam with only Phillies fans and ballpark music serving as audio. It has been viewed tens of millions of times across X and elsewhere because the moment is so pure.
On Friday, the Phillies worked out at Truist Park before Game 1 of the NL Division Series against the Braves. Afterward, Stott took a few minutes to rewatch the clip and give his thoughts.
¡°I think this is one of the coolest videos,¡± he said.
Stott¡¯s teammates agreed.
¡°Turn me up,¡± Brandon Marsh said about it.
¡°As a player, the videos without commentary bring you back to the moment even more,¡± Garrett Stubbs added. ¡°Obviously, at the time, we¡¯re not listening to a broadcast. We¡¯re out there on the field. It¡¯s just raw noise from fans and players and all that. So listening to the no-commentary homer brings it back even better than anything else.¡±
AOK
0:00 ¨C 0:18
It starts with Phillies fans singing along to Stott¡¯s walkup song ¡°AOK¡± by Tai Verdes. It has been Stott¡¯s song since he played at the team¡¯s alternate training site at Triple-A Lehigh Valley in 2020. Stott has never seen Verdes in concert, but Verdes has reposted a couple of videos of Philadelphia fans singing his song.
¡°I got chills the first two times I watched it,¡± Stott said about the video. ¡°Just to hear the stadium playing my walkup song again after the [mound visit] kind of got the crowd back. Obviously, they were into it. But back into the song and into the at-bat.¡±
Outta here!
0:19 ¨C 0:44
Stott smashes a first-pitch fastball against Marlins left-hander Andrew Nardi. The crowd erupts.
¡°They go crazy, then even more crazy,¡± Stott said. ¡°My buddy texted me and said, ¡®You didn¡¯t even give them a chance to catch their breath after singing your song.¡¯¡±
Stott said Wednesday he blacked out and did not remember anything as he rounded the bases.
What sticks out now?
¡°We always point to the bullpen,¡± Stott said. ¡°Kind of letting out a yell. I didn¡¯t hear myself yelling. I didn¡¯t hear myself yelling to the dugout. Just seeing everybody, I couldn¡¯t wait to get back to the dugout.¡±
Not seen in the video is Stott¡¯s bat spike, which rivaled Rhys Hoskins¡¯ in Game 1 of the 2022 NLDS against the Braves.
¡°Seeing Stott pack the bat into the holster and then slamming it, you know he doesn¡¯t remember doing it,¡± Marsh said. ¡°His body just did it. I¡¯m like, ¡®Dude, if I had hit that homer right there, I¡¯m sprinting. I don¡¯t even know what I¡¯m doing.¡¯ He leaned back on it. He took an extra moment, packed the bat, then slammed it. It was one of the sickest moments I¡¯ve seen.¡±
¡°The Philly Bat Spike has become a celebration tailored toward Philadelphia,¡± Stubbs said. ¡°It may be trademarked here in Philly -- the Philly Bat Spike. Gotta ¡®TM¡¯ that.¡±
The celebration
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Stott touches home plate and returns to the dugout, where he is greeted by teammates.
¡°It¡¯s really cool to see how happy everybody is,¡± Stott said. ¡°It¡¯s cool to see everybody pumped up. That¡¯s what¡¯s so special about this group. It doesn¡¯t matter who it is. You always get reactions like this.¡±
Batter up
1:24 ¨C 1:26
The crowd continues cheering as Cristian Pache takes the next pitch from Nardi.
¡°The constant buzz of the crowd,¡± Matt Strahm said. ¡°Even into the first pitch of the next at-bat, the roar is still there.¡±
Seven Nation Army
1:27 ¨C 1:45
The Phillies¡¯ organist plays The White Stripes¡¯ ¡°Seven Nation Army.¡± The crowd sings along, maintaining the energy level. Back in the dugout, Stott removes his elbow guard and batting gloves.
What was he thinking at that moment?
¡°Holy crap,¡± Stott said. ¡°Somebody said I should¡¯ve went out on the steps [for a curtain call]. By the time I got all my stuff off ¡ it wasn¡¯t too late, but Pache was in his at-bat already.¡±
Marshy love
1:46 ¨C 1:57
Marsh came back to Stott to give him a hug.
¡°I told him that he was a legend and that he was made for that moment right there,¡± Marsh said. ¡°I said, ¡®I freakin¡¯ love you, man!¡¯ Because he did it not just for him but for all of us. For the entire city of Philadelphia. It was a dagger.¡±
Stott got too many texts Wednesday and Thursday to respond to everyone. He turned 26 on Friday, so on top of the grand slam texts, he got birthday texts.
¡°If I don¡¯t respond to some people, I¡¯m sorry,¡± he said.