Matt Carpenter swears Cardinals’ action on field ‘definitely not a political statement’ to Donald Trump during game against Braves

Cardinals and Rays’ actions in recent games bring in controversies over supporting Donald Trump as the election race remains in the spotlight.

Matt Carpenter swears Cardinals’ action on field ‘definitely not a political statement’ to Donald Trump during game against Braves

Matt Carpenter and Donald Trump [Image Credit: Viva El Birdos/Imago]

Sunday proved to be a hectic day in the baseball world, as multiple player’s actions were speculated to be in support of former US President Donald Trump. The election race remains in the spotlight, especially after Trump got shot and Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race. 

In a recent game between St. Louis Cardinals vs. Atlanta Braves and New York Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays, several player’s celebration gestures were questioned to have been linked to support of Trump. However, both team players have clarified that it wasn’t the case and that it was just an “inside joke” and heat-of-the-moment reaction.

YouTube video

Starting off with the Cardinals incident, the speculation rose after outfielder Alec Burleson shot a 435-ft home run to seal the team’s 6-2 win over the Braves. Running off the third base he gestured by putting up a fist and covering his right ear which was immediately followed by other teammates in the dugout. Fans saw it as a possible reference to Donald Trump’s right ear wound during the rally in Pennsylvania. 

FS Video

However, despite rumors, designated hitter Matt Carpenter clarified that their actions did not imply any political reasoning. He commented,

It’s an inside joke…Definitely not a political statement. I think that’s a little off-base here.
Matt Carpenter as per Dan Treacy of Sporting News.

Carpenter noted that it was a celebration in reference to Alec Burleson’s time in college. Apparently, the 25-year-old is a huge music enthusiast who went by the name ‘Biscuit’ back in the day. He was a rapper, and the team’s recent celebration was a note to a DJ.

RELATED
WATCH: Shohei Ohtani and Teoscar Hernandez BEWILDERED as nasty fight ensues between fans at Dodgers vs Red Sox game 
Shohei Ohtani and Teoscar Hernandez [Image Credit: Imago/X/FanGraphs Baseball]

Rays shortstop Taylor Walls’ fist pump seen as note to Donald Trump

Another callback reference to Donald Trump was noted during the NY Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays game. Rays shortstop Taylor Walls pumped his right fist on the field twice exclaiming, “Fight! Fight!”. The former US president also uttered the same following the assassination attempt.

Taylor Walls [Image Credit: Tampa Bay Times]
Taylor Walls [Image Credit: Tampa Bay Times]

Apart from Walls and Burleson, many are fans of Trump. One example would be Washington Nationals pitcher Patrick Corbin who often shows his support for Trump on social platforms. 

Even on July 14, he took to his Instagram account to post a picture of Trump with his bloodied ear, captioning, “ususus”. Seems like both the election and MLB season are getting heated up as fans often seem to link homage gestures of players to political figures on the field.

In case you missed: