Why Does Edwin Encarnacion 'Walk the Parrot' After Hitting Home Runs?

Edwin Encarnacion's home run trot tradition dates back to his playing days with the Blue Jays.

After Edwin Encarnacion hit his 30th home run of the season on Wednesday, a familiar figure met him at the top of the Yankees' dugout steps–a parrot.

Encarnacion's teammates surprised him with a stuffed parrot to celebrate his eighth straight season with at least 30 homers. The infielder eagerly accepted the gift, which his teammates ordered for him from Amazon. 

Gleyber presents Edwin with a parrot pic.twitter.com/flcmVsuQEp

— Big Baby David (@BigBabyDavid_) July 25, 2019

For Encarnacion, home runs and parrot jokes go hand in hand dating back to his playing days with, ironically, the Blue Jays. On April, 28 2012, he hit a grand slam off Seattle's Hisashi Iwakuma and bent his right arm and held it parallel to the ground while rounding the bases. The unusual home run trot turned into a tradition after his teammates praised his new form.

"When I hit the grand slam, I got excited and rounded the bases from the side, turning like an airplane," Encarnacion told The Canadian Press in 2015. "My teammates liked it and said I should keep doing it, so I've kept doing it."

Fans also loved Encarnacion's move, sparking plenty of memes and nicknames for it like "Edwing" and "walking the parrot."

He's even embraced his new stuffed parrot and brought it along on the Yankees' flight to Boston on Wednesday night.

Edwin Encarnacion had a special guest with him on the charter flight to Boston (via Gio Urshela’s Instagram): #journalism pic.twitter.com/HySushhl7l

— James Wagner (@ByJamesWagner) July 25, 2019

What a perfect wingman.