Cubs' Bote says he meant no disrespect with bat flip vs. Nats

David Bote is showing some remorse for the aftermath of his epic ninth-inning walk-off grand slam that propelled the Chicago Cubs over the Washington Nationals on Sunday night.

Trailing 3-0 with two outs in the final frame, Bote stepped in and launched a towering homer to center, sending Wrigley Field into a frenzy. It was just the third home run of the 25-year-old's career, and with his adrenaline pumping, Bote flipped his bat - a major point of contention for some baseball supporters.

One day after his heroics, Bote wanted to clarify that he wasn't doing it to showboat.

"It just kind of happened," Bote said, according to the Bernstein & McKnight Show on 670 The Score. "I didn't even realize I did it until I saw it on the replay. I thought, 'Oh man, I did bat flip it.' Obviously, I meant no disrespect by any means. It was just the heat of the moment, I got it good, and I was wishing it out."

Bote said he was so excited that he wasn't in control of his body as he rounded the bases.

"I was running the bases and I knew my arm was up and I was like, 'Put your arm down, put your arm down,'" Bote said. "I just couldn't. I couldn't put it down."

The win stretched Chicago's lead in the NL Central to three games over the Milwaukee Brewers and continued Bote's strong initial stretch in the majors. He's slashing .329/.418/.539 with 18 RBIs through 76 at bats in 2018.