Votto praises Puig's bat flip after single: 'Any walk-off situation warrants' it

Joey Votto is a fan of Yasiel Puig and all that he encompasses on the field.

The Cincinnati Reds first baseman had nothing but praise for the exuberant Cuban after Puig capped off a comeback win with a walk-off hit against the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday.

"Bat-flip rules are very, very loose these days. I think any walk-off situation warrants anything," Votto told C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic. "I think if he'd cartwheeled to first base, we would have been happy about that too."

Puig has rubbed opposing players the wrong way in the past, including a few incidents this season already. The 28-year-old recently flipped his bat after hitting a home run against San Fransico Giants ace Madison Bumgarner, which prompted the left-hander to throw some shade at Puig after the game.

The Reds outfielder also was at the center of an on-field brawl between his club and the Pittsburgh Pirates earlier this season which resulted in multiple suspensions.

Entering Wednesday's action, Puig had seven home runs with 22 RBIs but was hitting just .212/.264/.384 for a Cincinnati team with an NL Central-worst 19-24 record.