Giants manager Tony Vitello had to turn into the fun police before game against Dodgers because of former Vols outfielder Drew Gilbert
San Francisco Giants manager Tony Vitello had to turn into the fun police before a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, and it’s all because of Drew Gilbert, a former Tennessee Vols outfielder.
When Tony Vitello left the Tennessee Vols to become the new manager of the San Francisco Giants, he joked that he had accepted a position as Drew Gilbert’s babysitter.
He was only half joking.
Vitello had to turn into the fun police this week thanks in large part to Gilbert, who played for Tony V at Tennessee from 2020 to 2022.
Tony Vitello had to shut down Drew Gilbert’s post-game outfield celebration
Gilbert and the Giants went viral earlier this week for their hip-thrusting outfield celebration after a win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The former Vol was particularly aggressive with the thrusts.
Vitello was asked about the celebration before Tuesday night’s game against the Dodgers. The first year Giants manager said that the outfielders are a “close knit group” before telling reporters that “there was a meeting”.
The message was received because the Giants’ outfield took a bow on Tuesday night after another win against the Dodgers.
The awkward hip-thrusting celebration lived on in MLB on Tuesday even though the Giants eschewed it in favor of a classy bow.
The New York Mets’ outfield, which featured two rookies on Tuesday in AJ Ewing and Carson Benge, performed their version of the celebration.
The hip thrust is actually a celebration that first baseman Pete Alonso brought to the Mets. And Alonso, who now plays for the Baltimore Orioles, was teammates with Giants outfielder Harrison Bader in New York in 2024, so that may have something to do with how the celebration made its way to the Bay Area.
We’ll see if Gilbert and the boys stick with the bow moving forward.