Chances are, if you have caught one of Team USA's World Baseball Classic games, you've been blinded by a swarm of pearly whites.
The guys wearing the Stars and Stripes have much to be happy about, for what it's worth. Mark DeRosa's squad just clinched a spot in its second WBC final in as many trips. Trea Turner is looking like Ted Williams reincarnated. The offense is thriving.
Wood meets cowhide in a beautifully-arranged tenor, one that has been all the more common as the tournament has worn on. USA's penchant for run support has fostered something of a tradition within its roster, a gesture that has come to take on a life of its own since in recent weeks.
We're talking about the salute, of course.
SALUTE 🫡🇺🇸
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) March 14, 2023
J.T. Realmuto drives in Arenado & Team USA leads 4-0 in the first!
📺: WBC on FS1 pic.twitter.com/euIAsxXtwF
MORE: Who is Captain America? Mike Trout leads Team USA's unofficial rotating cast at WBC
A flick of the elbow is all it took for USA to showcase its team spirit. So, how did the mannerism come to be? Sporting News details the rise of the salute, the U.S.'s go-to celebration during the 2023 WBC.
Team USA salute, explained
The U.S.'s salute isn't particularly new, nor is it all that unique. It is, after all, just your run of the mill salute, commonplace among those from military backgrounds across the country.
Nevertheless, it is special, at least to the U.S. team. In 2017, the team implemented the motion, using it as a way to celebrate barreled hits and big plays.
baseball, mlb, usa, salute, deportes, team usa, beisbol, wbc, world baseball classic, 2017… https://t.co/t5wAGixjA7 pic.twitter.com/e1CvnDt96A
— Glitmail (@GlitMail) March 20, 2017
Six years later and not much has changed. The U.S., featuring a number of players who sported the Red, White and Blue in the United States' inaugural title win in 2017, finds itself one game away from WBC glory. And much like it did six years prior, the team is embracing the iconic maneuver.
MORE: How Trea Turner's World Baseball Classic stats compare to past stars
Kyle Schwarber was the impetus for the celebration, explaining that it was his way of showing support to the U.S. military.
"That's going to be our little celebration for us this year," Schwarber said, per ESPN's Jesse Rogers. "Get back to a little salute to our men and women, too."
It has become an increasingly common sight to see one of USA's stars look to the dugout in delight after making a big play. Those glances tend to be accompanied by the cute little salutation.
Join me and mookie in saluting Kyle Schwarber
— Philly Sports Sufferer (@mccrystal_alex) March 12, 2023
SALUTE CHAIN
🫡 pic.twitter.com/WzuRsCdyej
Kyle Schwarber, We Salute You 🫡 pic.twitter.com/d0oefdiIM8
— Justin Lever ❤️⚾️ (@JustinLever3) March 12, 2023
Big salute to Trea🫡 for Team USA against CUBA🇨🇺#ForGlory🇺🇸 #WorldBaseballClassic #WorldBaseballClassic2023 #WBC #WBC2023 #MLB #TeamUSA #TeamCuba #web3casino #Metamask #cryptocasino #USA #BaseBall pic.twitter.com/Nu7W4fWMzP
— Diamond Bethub (@cosmos_bethub) March 20, 2023
It's become one of the images of the tournament, seated right next to Japan's pepper grinder celebration and the various faces and poses of Randy Arozarena. And when Team USA takes on Japan in the WBC final, viewers can sleep easy knowing that they'll likely peep that salute come in the fray once more.
