It's Leif Erikson day in Cincinnati every time the Reds hit a home run.
Every team in baseball seemingly has its own unique home run celebration now, and the Reds are no exception.
Starting this season, Reds players who launch a home run are given a Viking helmet and a large fur cape to complete the ensemble.
A celebration fit for a Viking!@VoslerJason celebrates with @Reds teammates after launching his third home run of the season and extended the lead over the @Cubs pic.twitter.com/n1u8heTod3
— Bally Sports Cincinnati (@BallySportsCIN) April 4, 2023
“It’s uncomfortable, but I’d wear it any day," third baseman Spencer Steer said, according to MLB.com. "They’re hitting you on the head with it, but it’s all part of it. It’s all worth it."
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How did the Viking apparel begin? Here's all you need to know about Cincinnati's new home run celebration.
Reds' Viking home run celebration, explained
The origin of the idea began to shape up last year when Luis Cessa was moved from the bullpen into the rotation.
When he arrived in the dugout, he decided there needed to be some celebration when the team picked up hits and home runs. What, in particular, prompted the Viking apparel? Well, Cessa thought Reds outfielder Jake Fraley looked like a Viking.
"I had a really good relationship with Fraley so I was just talking, 'Hey maybe we need something like a robe when you've got a base hit,'" Cessa told Bally Sports Ohio's Jim Day. "The ideas keep it going and just save it for this year with the cape and the viking helmet."
And, as it turns out, Cessa's assumption about Fraley has some merit.
"That’s a funny story. I actually did the whole 'ancestry dot com' stuff," Fraley said, according to MLB.com. "I got back the DNA stuff, and it actually came back and said my original ancestors were Vikings and Anglo-Saxons that traveled over the North Sea. So it fits perfect."
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Cessa explained to Day that he bought a few different helmets, including a metal one. However, he decided the metal helmet was too heavy and a big dangerous. So instead, he went with a plastic helmet.
All the Viking apparel was purchased during spring training, and the team was on board with the idea. But Cessa said the decision was made to wait until Opening Day, per MLB.com.
When a player hits a home run, Jonathan India places the helmet on the player's head and outfielder T.J. Friedl gives them the robe. That isn't the end of the celebration, however. The team has since gone full Viking with it, with the rest of the team rowing a boat behind the player as he walks through the dugout.
"We start behind the guy who hit the homer and we like row because we are warriors and I think that’s a good thing for the team to stay in the same page and stay together," Cessa told Day. "We row behind everybody because like a team, we row for the victory. That’s the idea.”
