iStockphoto / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
The MLB banned a postgame celebration of the San Francisco Giants following a viral moment on social media. The team worked around being censored after their most recent win.
Outfielders took a bow after beating the rival Dodgers on Tuesday night. They ceded to the league’s demands as it pushes to stop the antics.
The Giants introduced a new celebration upon seeing the previous one nixed. It was the perfect response to the MLB ruling.
The MLB banned the Giants’ celebration.
😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/wsIHUdvLGC
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) May 12, 2026
After beating the Dodgers 9-3 on Monday night, cameras panned to San Francisco players in the field. The broadcast caught outfielders gathering in a huddle.
The MLB deemed the celebration indecent. It provided a statement after seeing the moment go viral.
“A message has been relayed” to the Giants players asking them not to do this celebration anymore.
–Talkin’ Baseball via Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic
Despite the league’s best attempts, the celebration spread. The Mets reenacted the huddle the very next night.
Mets outfield taking some inspiration from the Giantspic.twitter.com/ivqznMXuKf
— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) May 13, 2026
This is something that’s been seen throughout the year in San Francisco. After each win, the outfielders gathered in the grass. The thrust seems to be a recently introduced feature of the shenanigans.
Giants postgame celebrations have escalated pic.twitter.com/ctJ6oTdueq
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) May 12, 2026
The MLB disapproved. It scrambled to stop it from gaining further popularity. The Giants picked up another win on Tuesday. They conformed to the rules.
Giants players took a bow.
Realizing that all eyes would be on them given the recent attention, the outfielders opted to debut a new postgame ritual. This one was far more acceptable in the eyes of Major League Baseball.
The complete opposite of last night’s outfield celebration: pic.twitter.com/Ar3X3VTHaE
— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) May 13, 2026
The thrust didn’t completely die, though. Their manager had them covered.
Not to worry, Tony V had them covered tonight pic.twitter.com/BTxhSYp71i
— tomfoolery (@tempertoeknee) May 13, 2026
Tony Vitello spoke on the Giants’ celebration after seeing the Monday night moment go viral. “No comment,” he said. “They’re a close-knit group, let’s put it that way.”
San Francisco continues to enjoy each win regardless of the MLB ban. They’ve now won three straight and will look to close out a sweep of Los Angeles on Wednesday.