The Washington Nationals' eventual Game 6 win over the Houston Astros got off to a shaky start. After taking a 1-0 lead in the first inning, the Nationals gave it right back just two batters into the Astros' lineup. Then, Houston took the lead in the first when third baseman Alex Bregman hit a solo home run to left field off Stephen Strasburg.

Take a look at Bregman's blast and the subsequent bat carry:

As noted by the fine folks behind the MLB Stats account, Bregman is the youngest American League player with three home runs in a single World Series since Mickey Mantle did it in 1956. That's impressive.

Nationals outfielder Juan Soto, by the way, mimicked Bregman later in the game. He carried his bat to first following a go-ahead home run in the fifth that gave the Nationals a 3-2 lead. The 413-foot no-doubter was Soto's third homer of this Fall Classic.

"I just thought it was pretty cool," Soto said after Game 6. "I wanted to do it too."

Bregman's bat carry celebration was cause for early Game 6 discourse. Former big-league players Mike Morse and Mike Napoli disapproved on their respective Twitter accounts, and Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg chipped in his two cents on Instagram, as elder statesmen are wont to do. 

Afterward, Bregman issued an apology to his teammates and the Nationals and said his emotions got the best of him and that he wasn't raised to play the game that way. 

Nationals manager Dave Martinez wasn't quite as fond of the celebration, noting he didn't like it when Bregman or Soto did it, and that he would be talking to Soto to address it. Astros manager A.J. Hinch added that "[Bregman] shouldn't carry the bat past first base. Soto shouldn't carry it to first base either."

It's perhaps ironic that Bregman and Soto chose to speak softly and carry a big stick at a time when MLB is running an ad campaign declaring the new generation plays loud. Still, as with most of these conversations, the whole thing feels a bit silly. Is carrying the bat to first base showing up the pitcher much more (if at all) than an emphatic bat flip or chest pound? Besides, isn't a player permitted to showboat after taking the lead in a potential World Series clincher? Ah, forget it.