Cardinals forced to clarify home run celebration not an homage to Trump surviving assassination attempt

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St. Louis Cardinals designated hitter Alec Burleson hit a 435-foot solo home run to contribute to the team’s 6-2 win over the Atlanta Braves, but it was his celebration that caught the eyes of baseball fans.

As Burleson rounded the bases, he and his teammates were seen putting a fist up and covering their right ear. Burleson did the move as he rounded third base, and several of his teammates in the dugout followed suit. It was Burleson’s 18th home run of the season.

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St. Louis Cardinals' Alec Burleson celebrates in the dugout after hitting a home run in the third inning against the Braves in Atlanta on July 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Jason Allen)

Baseball fans on social media wondered whether the celebration was inspired by former President Trump and his strength after he was wounded in an assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania last week.

Cardinals veteran Matt Carpenter told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that the celebration was actually a call back to Burleson’s college days when he was a rapper nicknamed Biscuit. The hand over the ear was allegedly supposed to be invisible headphones.

"Definitely not a political statement, that is off base," Carpenter said.

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St. Louis Cardinals' Alec Burleson swings in the eighth inning against the Braves in Atlanta on July 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Jason Allen)

Trump was wounded in the shooting but managed to participate in the Republican National Convention last week, ending with a speech as he accepted the party’s nomination for president.

For Burleson, he was