Dodgers debut new hit celebration with the most random origin

The Dodgers have stuck to the same hit celebration routine for a few years now. An arms-up/hip wiggle combo most closely associated with Freddie Freeman was the go-to pre-2024, and then Shohei Ohtani joined and added a Dragon Ball Z-inspired leg-up/hip twitch. Sometimes the Dodgers just do one or the other, sometimes they do both.

A short-lived one made an appearance this year, debuted by Mookie Betts and inspired by Yoshinobu Yamamoto's trainer Osamu Yada, infamous for working javelin-throwing into not only Yamamoto's but recently Betts' routine. We haven't seen much of that one since Betts went onto the IL, but we imagine it'll make a comeback when Betts does.

Over the weekend, Alex Call was the first to whip out yet another celebration. He picked up a pinch-hit RBI single against the Cardinals on Sunday and did a high kick in the direction of the dugout.

Jack Harris of the California Post wrote that it might have its roots in a moment from the night before, when the Dodgers lost by a run to St. Louis. Dalton Rushing struck out swinging for the last out of the game and was spotted kicking frustratedly (and prompting a duck from Yamamoto) as he came back into the dugout.

"We needed to kick away the negativity," one player said.

Dodgers' new hit celebration has its origins in a moment of frustration from Dalton Rushing

The Dodgers went on to win on Sunday, beating former teammates Dustin May 4-1. They followed with an 8-3 win over the Astros on Monday — a multi-hit game for all of Freddie Freeman, Will Smith, Kyle Tucker, and Alex Freeland. Going into that game, the Dodgers had failed to score more than two runs in four of their last five.

LA has been one of the winningest teams in baseball since the season began, but with a roster so fearsome, any dip feels like a crater. When the offense is off to the extent they have been over their last 10 or so games, fans start to panic.

But hopefully, Monday marked a breakout for some of the key bats in the Dodgers' lineup. They're still waiting for Shohei Ohtani and Teoscar Hernández to wake up, but this feels like a turning point (even if it was against a team with as poor pitching as the Astros). Maybe the new celebration worked. Maybe they kicked away the negativity.

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