Rays' Wander Franco invents 'ball flip' on defense, hits home run on offense

With a little improvisation -- and plenty of time to make the play -- Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco turned a routine ground ball into a one-of-a-kind highlight in Wednesday night's 8-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

In the top of the seventh inning, Franco flagged a grounder by Pittsburgh's Bryan Reynolds and after transferring the ball to his throwing hand, he gave it a casual little flip in the air before taking a crow hop and throwing it on to first base. Reynolds was out by a step.

Then in the bottom of the seventh, Franco added some offensive flair with a solo home run to right-center field, his sixth of the season.

Franco's "ball flip" -- perhaps the defensive equivalent of a home run hitter's bat flip -- was almost certain to anger baseball purists.

Indeed, Reynolds wasn't a fan when asked about it after the game.

“I saw it,” Reynolds told The Athletic. “It didn’t impress me.”

But if MLB wants its star players to be more marketable by showing off their individuality, Franco gave a virtuoso performance Wednesday night in a matchup of two of the game's best teams so far this season.