Shane Victorino followed, and Chase Utley and Greg Dobbs. In general terms, first ones to the pile end up on the bottom.
"Me? I'm a small guy," said 41-year-old Matt Stairs. "So I stand on the outside and let everyone go first. Then I get my licks in."
"I'm sure people got hit, kneed, elbowed," said J.A. Happ. "They just don't feel it in the euphoria. If you're on the bottom of the pile you're going to do what you've got to do to get out of there. You've got to be able to defend yourself.
"And if you're the guy like Jimmy? You've got to keep the helmet on and protect the vital organs."
Other sports have mass-bodied celebrations. Hockey players pile upon the overtime goal scorer, football players choreograph some of their post-touchdown parties. But equipment worn to protect them from the other team also keeps them out of harm's way from their own.
Not that anyone celebrating that goal is throwing punches.
Disliked by some teammates on every team he has ever played for, there is no video of teammates jumping on T.O. in the end zone and wailing on him.
"But that's what we do," Rollins said. "Baseball has changed. You probably didn't have celebrations like that in the past, but today guys show emotion, I guess, a lot differently."
Howard was Rollins' armor, even if unintentionally.
"I just kind of went in fetal position and started throwing punches," Rollins said. "And whoever got hit, got hit."
Situated toward the bottom, Dobbs caught a few. He also gave a few.
"See my knuckles?" he said, pushing forward some reddened bone. "I was punching Jimmy in the ribs."
As hard as you can?
Dobbs fired the stupid-question look back. "Yeah," he said. "Try to crack your starting shortstop's ribs."
