A New Jersey Little Leaguer was suspended for a bat flip after hitting a walk-off home run, and his status for his team’s next game is in jeopardy after his father filed an emergency temporary restraining order so he can play.
Marco Rocco from Haddonfield, New Jersey, hit a two-run home run on July 16 against Harrison Township to give his team an 8-0 victory in the final of the sectional tournament. Marco flipped his bat in the air in celebration, but he was immediately ejected. At first, the runs were taken off the board, but a call to Little League reinstated the score, but the ejection stood. Marco was then later suspended.
The ejection carries a one-game suspension. Marco’s family was told that his actions were ‘unsportsmanlike’ and ‘horseplay.’
Haddonfield is slated to play against Elmora in the Joe Graziano State Tournament on Thursday night, July 24. The winner of the state tournament then advances to the regionals and is a step closer to the Little League World Series.
Marco’s father, Joe, filed an emergency temporary restraining order in Gloucester County Court Chancery Division and said the suspension is hypocritical, especially since Little League promotes bat-flips on its social media.
‘We’re sick to our stomachs over this,’ Rocco said, according to the Courier-Post, part of the USA TODAY Network. ‘My son is distraught. He said, ‘I didn’t know I was breaking a rule, I see bat flips all over TV during the Little League World Series.
‘He doesn’t understand why he was ejected from the game. I told him sometimes life isn’t fair, but I’ll go to bat for you.’