Johnny Gomes Walkoff Helmet Punt Celebration
Johnny Gomes hit a 2 run home run in the bottom of the 9th inning last night to give the Red Sox a 3-1 win over the Rays. Most Red Sox walkoff celebrations include pounding the guy who got the winning run on the head and then trying to tear off their jersey. Since the head pounding hurts more with the helmet on, most Sox players take their helmet off before the pounding begins. David Ortiz, of course, has added some extra flair to that with a more extravagant toss of the helmet as he comes around 3rd.
Gomes last night took it to a new level with a punt that landed over near the Red Sox on deck circle.
An unidentified Red Sox player trying to field Gomes' punted helmet
UPDATE – July 3, 2013
Gomes hit another walk-off home run tonight to win the game against the Padres. When he was coming around 3rd I was waiting for another punt, but instead…. he went for a FAKE PUNT. He's the best!
Here's a snippet from a story on NESN:
Following Gomes’ home run off Peralta on June 18, he kicked his helmet into the air after rounding third base – a celebration he dubbed “The Fenway Punt.” This time around, Gomes called an audible. He faked “The Fenway Punt,” and instead plunged right up the gut. “The fake punt. You’ve got to keep everyone on their toes, right?” Gomes said after Wednesday’s win. “I think I’m all out of tricks now, to tell you the truth.”