Current:Home > Contact-usRays SS Taylor Walls says gesture wasn’t meant as Trump endorsement and he likely won’t do it again-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Rays SS Taylor Walls says gesture wasn’t meant as Trump endorsement and he likely won’t do it again
View Date:2024-12-23 16:48:33
TORONTO (AP) — Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Taylor Walls said Tuesday that his Donald Trump-inspired celebration of a hit Sunday was not intended as an endorsement of the Republican presidential candidate and added he was unlikely to do it again.
Walls pumped his fist and shouted “Fight! Fight! Fight!” after hitting a double against the New York Yankees on Sunday, mimicking Trump’s reaction after a bullet hit his ear during a campaign event in Pennsylvania on July 13.
“I think it’s pretty inspirational when any person, in the blink of an eye, their life could be taken from them,” Walls said before the Rays faced the Toronto Blue Jays. “They don’t really know what’s going on in the heat of the moment.
“To immediately stand up and show strength, to me, speaks pretty loudly,” Walls added. “Anyone in that situation or that type of event, when it happens, it’s strong. It kind of represents character to me, and something that similarly I feel like I’ve faced those challenges in baseball, but on a much suppressed level.”
The fifth-inning double off right-hander Marcus Stroman was Walls’ first hit since the shooting. He has five hits in 33 at-bats this month, including four singles.
Still, Walls said he isn’t likely to make the gesture again.
“That was kind of more of a joke that we have with guys in the locker room,” he said. “Joke may not be the right word. It was kind of just something that we had together that we thought was kind of funny, that we thought would be all right. I don’t really see that going much further than that. I don’t foresee myself doing it again.”
Walls declined to say who he intended to vote for in November, referencing President Joe Biden’s recent decision not to seek reelection.
The four-year veteran from Georgia said the values he was brought up with are important to him and typically inform his political choices.
“You can read between the lines of how I carry myself, how I was raised, how me and my family coordinate, how we’re going to go about things and do things,” Walls said. “That’s kind of what I base my vote on and my view on.”
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
veryGood! (49844)
Related
- Wicked's Ethan Slater Shares How Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo Set the Tone on Set
- State veterans affairs commissioner to resign at the end of the year
- A Boeing strike is looking more likely. The union president expects workers to reject contract offer
- Fourth death linked to Legionnaires’ disease cluster at New York assisted living facility
- Ariana Grande Shares Dad's Emotional Reaction to Using His Last Name in Wicked Credits
- Banana Republic’s Outlet Has Luxury Fall Staples Under $60, Plus Tops & Sweaters up to 70% off Right Now
- Tom Brady is far from the GOAT in NFL broadcast debut, but he can still improve
- Dak Prescott beat Jerry Jones at his own game – again – and that doesn't bode well for Cowboys
- Former Disney Star Skai Jackson Is Pregnant, Expecting First Baby With Her Boyfriend
- Body cam footage shows police throwing Tyreek Hill to ground before Dolphins opener
Ranking
- Federal judge blocks Louisiana law that requires classrooms to display Ten Commandments
- Why Kelly Ripa Gets Temporarily Blocked By Her Kids on Instagram
- 'SNL' star Chloe Troast exits show, was 'not asked back'
- In Romania, she heard church bells. They tolled for her child, slain in GA school shooting
- 'I was in total shock': Woman wins $1 million after forgetting lotto ticket in her purse
- Cool weather forecast offers hope in battling intense Southern California blaze
- Dolphins star Tyreek Hill had an altercation with police. Here’s what we know
- SpaceX launches a billionaire to conduct the first private spacewalk
Recommendation
-
Rafael dissolves into a low pressure system in the Gulf of Mexico after hitting Cuba as a hurricane
-
RFK Jr. loses attempt to withdraw from Michigan ballot
-
A Boeing strike is looking more likely. The union president expects workers to reject contract offer
-
Wolf pack blamed in Colorado livestock attacks is captured and will be relocated
-
Moana 2 Star Dwayne Johnson Shares the Empowering Message Film Sends to Young Girls
-
Labor costs remain high for small businesses, but a report shows wage growth is slowing for some
-
Kentucky shooting suspect faces 5 counts of attempted murder; search intensifies
-
Dolphins' Tyreek Hill being detained serves as painful reminder it could have been worse