Watch: Phillips turns around, toys with Gonzalez while taking lead
Brandon Phillips has discovered a unique way to avoid getting back-picked on first base.
During the eighth inning of the Cincinnati Reds' 5-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday, Phillips singled with two outs to move Joey Votto into scoring position and potentially spark a two-out rally.
In an attempt to ensure he wouldn't kill the Reds' rally by being back-picked at first base, as Dodgers' first baseman Adrian Gonzalez wasn't holding him on, or simply feeling playful, Phillips turned and faced Gonzalez while taking his lead.
The unorthodox move put a smile on Gonzalez's face, and instead of barking at Phillips for violating baseball's unwritten code, Gonzalez played along, shuffling back and forth, which Phillips promptly mimicked, creating a comical scene between the two.
Phillips had some fun with the amusing incident after the game, coining it the "Dat Dude Titan Shuffle," an amalgam of his and Gonzalez's Twitter handles.
Lol its called the #DatDudeTitanShuffle? RT @Cut4: @DatDudeBP engaged in a lovely, basepath dance w/ @AdrianTitan23: pic.twitter.com/nus2IKcxcO
— Brandon Phillips (@DatDudeBP) August 26, 2015
The dancing troupe The Rockettes even took notice of Phillips' playful exchange with Gonzalez.
Yes indeed it should be? RT @Rockettes: @Cut4 @DatDudeBP we've heard there's no crying in baseball but maybe there should be more dancing?
— Brandon Phillips (@DatDudeBP) August 26, 2015
Will Phillips repeat his antics again on the baseball diamond?
Probably not.
Have he and Gonzalez created the latest dance craze?
Stay tuned.
