How an old Roman Anthony TikTok video inspired Red Sox’ new celebration

"Now I’ve gotta explain to my boys what that is all about."

Roman Anthony has inspired Boston's new doubles celebration. Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe

April 8, 2026

1 minute to read

The 2026 Red Sox have brought back a few celebrations from last season — headlined by the return of the “Wally Head” after Boston’s bats connect on a home run.

But, Boston does have a new routine when players reach second base, with Red Sox players putting their hands on their heads and gesturing toward the dugout — be it a dance, hip thrust, or another move.

Marcelo Mayer comes off the bench and delivers in the 7th with a double for his first hit of the 2026 season #DirtyWater pic.twitter.com/Mo71uwGIla
— Lucas Parmenter (@Lucasparmenter0) March 26, 2026

Speaking on WEEI on Tuesday, Red Sox manager Alex Cora revealed the origin of the new celebration, noting that the moves come from a TikTok video “that’s somewhere of one of the players.”

“The dance came from there,” Boston’s manager added.

It didn’t take long for the internet to find the video in question — a dance video featuring Boston outfielder Roman Anthony during his high-school days.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora joins to explain the orgin of the "Hip thrust" celebration 😂 pic.twitter.com/DJUXlKbZ7Z
— WEEI Afternoons (@WEEIAfternoons) April 7, 2026

In the video, Anthony follows the familiar TikTok trend of copying the choreography of pop songs — dancing along to Mariah Carey’s “Obsessed.”

“I saw [the celebration] for the first time in Cincinnati, and I turned around to one of the coaches and said, ‘Now I’ve gotta explain to my boys what that is all about,’” Cora joked. “And, in the hotel, boom. They were locked in. Right away.”

Cora basically confirmed on @WEEI that the on base celebration is a result of the classic Roman Anthony TikTok Dance pic.twitter.com/oMjS9YKrZ0
— Pat Brown (@PatBrown954) April 7, 2026

Of course, the Red Sox are banking on Anthony providing more than just dance moves in 2026.

The 21-year-old outfielder is batting .217 in his first 12 games of the season — connecting on three extra-base hits and driving in two runs over 46 at-bats.

While Anthony has been slow out of the gate this season out of the leadoff spot, Boston has shown some signs of life over the last few days.

Following Wednesday’s 5-0 win over the Brewers, Boston sits at 4-8 on the season and secured their first series win against a strong Milwaukee roster.

“Where we’re at right now is a good learning experience,” Cora said. “It’s a young team that got off the blocks slowly. We’re learning, but we’re getting better.”