Flashback Friday: The Birth of Edwin Encarnacion’s Parrot Walk Home Run Trot
Sometimes, the best traditions are born by accident. Such is the case with Edwin Encarnacion and his famous “chicken wing trot”, walking the parrot, T-Rex arm, “Edwing” or whatever you want to call it.
In honour of Encarnacion’s torrid pace in the month of May, this week’s Flashback Friday looks back at the origin of his famous post-home run celebratory parrot walk.
The very first instance of Edwin walking the parrot happened back in 2012 against the Seattle Mariners. In fact, it came to be by complete accident. Encarnacion’s teammate Jose Bautista explained the origin of the parrot walk during his appearance on MLB Network’s Intentional Talk:
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“I think the way it got started was one day he hit a line drive, one of those ‘you don’t know if it’s going to go or not’, so he was chugging around first and almost fell down.
He was just kind of leaning and kind of just stayed that way, and everybody was like ‘that looked cool, you need to do that again’.”
Here’s the home run in question – a grand slam off Hisashi Iwakuma on April 28, 2012.
Because of the camera angles, it’s difficult to tell whether Encarnacion was close to taking a tumble around first base, but it makes sense that he elevated his right arm to gain some balance as he rounded first base.
In this first instance, it looks like he’s holding up his arm as if he were carrying an old-school boombox.
Over time, it progressed into the home run trot you see today, which most famously resembles “walking the parrot”. It’s best experienced in the original GIF seen around the around coined by Mr. Archi Zuber and Scott Johnson of The Score.
Of course, Bob Mackowycz noted that Encarnacion’s parrot walk is the antithesis to one of baseball’s most infamous home run trots, Jeffrey Leonard’s “one flap down”. I guess that would make Encarnacion’s trot “one flap up”.
It is a stupid "look at me" classless act. Real stars put their head down a take their trot.
Oh come on relax buddy, it's harmless and his teammates enjoy it
Come on guys!! I enjoy watching EE walk his “parrot”. Nothing wrong with that. Don’t like it, don’t watch. Can’t say anything nice plz don’t say anything at all!! He’s on my team so leave the guy alone! I can’t stand reading “hater” comments. Boo on you!
I walk my fleshy parrot every morning
Don’t like it, don’t read it. Hypocrite.
Couldn't agree more. Great player? Yes. So act like one and play like you do it all the time and that it's no big deal. If you're in the minors, fine, but this is the big leagues, so act like you belong. Name one other 'homerun' trot we see today?!? … Exactly.
totally agree
Boo hoo. Do you remember what it was like to have fun that one time?
Don't throw BP when EE's at the plate – problem solved.
Nothing classless about it.
You bunch of whiners. It's great that he does it and I hope he never stops. You whiners should go watch 5 year olds play T ball. That's about your speed. Keep it going Eddie.
Touché!! Let EE have his trademark and quit with the putdowns. I love it….keep it up!
Touché!! Let EE have his trademark!!
Thank you, that was well said!!
It is stupid looking. But to each his own.
"get off ma lawn"
there was a guy yrs ago who would do it to tell the pitcher " that pitch wasnt sh!t
If you don't enjoy Ed's little "trot" then you are just a jealous hater.
I will never get ball players and hard core ball fans. Get over yourselves & lighten up
Couldn't agree more
Couldn't agree more
It is stupid looking. About like Donaldson's haircut. But to each his own.
Stupid was the Rangers calling review on every play and still getting smoked. I guess the MLB didn't tell Toronto they were supposed to lose.
Go on Wing, keep walking the Bluejay
I'm pretty sure every athlete has their own "thing" when celebrating from the touchdown dance in football, the chest bump in soccer to the one knee fist pump in hockey. Does that make them classless? I think not!!!
It’s “EDWING” his arm up is a chicken “WING”, “EDWING” get it. It is not a perch and has nothing to do with a parrot.
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He ain’t big Papi.
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