Dodgers complain players were actually tomahawk chopped in gruesome bullpen battle
Los Angeles files a formal protest after Atlanta fans take a baseball tradition a little too literally.
ATLANTA — In an escalation of postseason crowd participation, the Dodgers have filed a protest alleging that the Braves’ familiar chop migrated from the grandstand directly into the visiting bullpen.
The offending equipment was described as oversized foam souvenirs, several of which were still attached to their concession receipts. No actual injuries were reported, although one reliever said his trust in promotional giveaways might never recover.
“We prepared for crowd noise,” a Dodgers spokesperson said. “Nobody told us to prepare for interpretive crowd contact.”
Atlanta fans maintained they were simply keeping a longstanding tradition alive. One insisted his foam tomahawk was technically a rally towel with structural ambition.
League officials are reportedly considering taller nets, a souvenir-length limit and a mandatory seminar titled ‘Metaphor: When to Stop.’ The bullpen catcher has requested that all future traditions remain at least one warning track away.
Asked whether the incident would change the team’s approach, a Dodgers coach said the scouting report now includes exit routes.
At press time, stadium officials were carefully reviewing next week’s Bat Night.
