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Herrera won't stop bat-flipping despite risk of getting drilled

Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Odubel Herrera is doing his part to make baseball fun again, one assertive bat flip at a time.

The 25-year-old Philadelphia Phillies outfielder entered Saturday's game mired in a 9-for-67 slump at the plate, but broke out with two doubles and three RBIs.

It was his antics at the dish, however, that became the topic of conversation. Herrera flipped his bat on a flyout in the first inning and did it again later on a three-run double off San Francisco Giants reliever Hunter Strickland.

Strickland, of course, recently plunked Bryce Harper, leading to an epic, bench-clearing brawl. Herrera's aware he could be hit if a pitcher takes exception to his bat flips, but he's unwilling to change his style.

"Of course, it worries me a little bit," he said through his interpreter, according to Jim Salisbury of CSN Philly. "I don't want to get drilled. But I'm not going to change the way I play. If I get hit, I'm just going to have to rub it. ...

"I'm sure that some pitchers may find it offensive, but I'm not trying to offend anyone. That's just the way I am and that’s the way I'm going to play."

This bat flip from Herrera's fifth home run of the 2016 campaign is proof that the talented outfielder is, without a doubt, not afraid of expressing himself on the diamond.

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