The Tigers celebrated their American League Division Series win over Oakland a little differently Thursday night.
Following the final pitch of Detroit’s 3-0 win and before the champagne corks were popped, the team gathered in front of the pitcher’s mound for a choreographed ritual vaguely resembling the “haka” war dance made famous by the New Zealand All Blacks rugby team.
Outfielder Torii Hunter claimed credit for introducing the group celebration, which he calls the “Turn Up,” and he shared some additional details about its importance after the game.
“I thought it was a good idea after we lost two straight games in Chicago in August,” he said, according to USA Today. “It was just a way to ‘turn up’ the intensity. We needed to remind ourselves that there’s nothing more important than playing together and playing hard, especially when you get to this time of the year.”
Check it out in GIF form below, courtesy of SB Nation.
For those interested, here’s what the actual “haka” looks like, as performed by New Zealand’s national baseball team prior to a World Baseball Classic qualifier last fall.
