Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Taylor Walls said his Donald Trump-inspired celebration after getting a hit Sunday was not intended to be a presidential endorsement.
After hitting a double against the New York Yankees, Walls looked toward his dugout, clenched his fist and yelled, “Fight! Fight! Fight!” Walls was imitating Trump's gesture after he was shot in the ear during an assassination attempt on July 13 at a rally in Pennsylvania.
Walls said he was unlikely to celebrate again after the coup.
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Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Taylor Walls before a game against the New York Yankees on July 20, 2024, at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York. (Andrew Mordzynski/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
However, Walls discussed how inspiring Trump's reaction was after the assassination attempt while speaking before the Rays' game against the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday.
“I think it's very inspiring that in the blink of an eye, anyone's life can be taken away from them,” Walls said. “They don't really know what's happening in the heat of the moment.”
RAYS' TAYLOR WALLS HOLDS TRUMP-INSPIRED CELEBRATION AFTER DOUBLE-HEAD OVER YANKEES
“To me, standing up straight away and showing strength is something that speaks volumes. Anybody who is in that situation or that type of event, when it happens, it's strong. To me, it's something that represents character and something that, similarly, I feel like I've faced those challenges in baseball, but on a much more repressed level.”
As for why Walls won't do the gesture again after a hit, he said it was “more of a joke we have with the guys in the locker room.”
Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Taylor Walls reacts after turning into a double play during the second inning of a game against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on July 21, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
“Maybe joke is not the right word,” he clarified. “It was something we did together that we thought would be funny, that we thought would be cool. I don't think it will go much further than that. I don't see myself doing it again.”
Walls did not say who she would vote for in this year's presidential election, but she did reference Joe Biden's decision to drop out of the race while speaking about it.
“You can read between the lines of how I conduct myself, how I was raised, how I coordinate with my family, how we're going to approach things and get things done,” Walls said. “That's what I base my vote and my opinion on.”
Walls, who grew up in Georgia, played college baseball at Florida State University before becoming a third-round pick of the Rays in the 2017 MLB Draft.
Taylor Walls of the Tampa Bay Rays takes the lead from first base against the Chicago Cubs during a game at Tropicana Field on June 12, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Mike Carlson/Getty Images)
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Walls is known for his stellar defensive skills more than his bat. He had a .160/.286/.210 batting average entering Tuesday's game.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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