Sure, baseball is technically back. It started up last Thursday. There have been games for a week.

BUT, baseball isn't really officially back until there's been some out-of-this-world, dramatic bat flip after a home run (See Tim Anderson from 2019). And during Thursday's Marlins-Mets game, we got one. This time it was Mets second baseman Jeff McNeil after he tied up the game, 2-2, in the bottom of the ninth inning. It was magnificent.

Here's the dinger:

And the toss toward the Heavens:

"That was just spontaneous. I knew right when it left the bat, I got it," McNeil told MLB.com's Anthony DiComo. "I've never bat-flipped before. That was the first time. So it was fun. My teammates loved it. It was a huge moment in the game. It was just all adrenaline, excitement all coming out at once. My first hit, hitting a big homer on my birthday. So just an incredible day."

Thank you, Jeff. Now the 2021 season can really begin.