We know where the waving came from. That was courtesy Franchy Cordero.
Remember? In an early-April game the outfielder spontaneously waved to the dugout upon reaching second base, spawning the ritual of every single Red Sox baserunner duplicating the act when reaching base.
But recently there has been an under-the-radar twist.
While there is some sporadic waving still, the regular routine for Red Sox baserunners now religiously includes the simulation of a checkmark. Much like the wave, the motion with the index finger is relayed from both the hitter and his teammates in the dugout.
So, what is the origin of the new celebration? Speaking to WEEI.com before Wednesday night's game, Alex Verdugo explained.
"We just have a little game. It’s quality plate appearances. Quality at-bats," said Verdugo, who has also added the simulation of rocking his newborn baby into on-base celebrations. "The checkmark just means that’s one quality at-bat. There could be times you strike out it is still a quality at-bat because you see a certain amount of pitches. You’re grinding and you see everything the pitcher has got. Well, you saw nine pitches. It started more of a team thing, just wanting to get the boys extra locked in and not give away outs."
The new routine just started being embraced in recent weeks, allowing newcomers like Kyle Schwarber to hit the ground running when it comes to such things.
"We're all about it," Schwarber said. "Trust me, whenever you come to a new team you don't want to make it feel like you're missing a beat. You don't want it to feel like they are getting adjusted to you. You kind of just want to blend in on why they have already had success."