Justin Verlander revived a decades-old dugout tradition Sunday afternoon by giving teammate Don Kelly the ‘ol “hot foot.”

Perhaps Verlander just felt the need to bring Kelly down to earth after the career .236 hitter (.628 OPS) was spotlighted by the New York Times as the only active major leaguer to have played innings at each defensive position around the diamond.

The hot foot has been in pranksters’ repertoires since at least the 1980s. The Mets blog Hot Foot credits former Miracle Mets Roger McDowell and Howard Johnson with originating the trick.

Here’s an explanation of their technique in this clip from “1986: A Year to Remember.”

Top 1: Grady Sizemore called out on strikes against Justin Verlander

Top 3: Sizemore struck out swinging against Verlander

Top 6: Sizemore called out on strikes against Verlander

Top 9: Sizemore struck out swinging against Verlander

Final Line: 0-4, 4 K

Notes: Not too much to point out here beyond the obvious domination by Verlander, who flirted with a no-no and fired a two-hit shutout against the Tribe on Tuesday.  The sombrero was Sizemore’s second of the season (and second since being activated from the DL), and I think it’s a safe assumption that we’ll see a few more from him this season. Go get ’em, Grady.

Total 2011 Sombreros: 42

Top 1: Miguel Olivo struck out swinging against Justin Verlander

Top 4: Olivo struck out swinging against Verlander

Top 6: Olivo struck out swinging against Verlander

Top 9: Olivo struck out swinging against Jose Valverde

Final Line: 0-for-4, 4 K

Notes: Hitting in the four-hole on for the Mariners on Thursday night, Olivo stuck out swinging in all four at-bats.  Granted, three were against Verlander, who is about as good as anyone at racking up strikeouts.  It was just one of those days for both Olivo and the Mariners.

Total 2011 Sombreros: 39

You know things are bad when the Mariners are about to give up on you…

Top 1: Jack Cust called out on strikes against Justin Verlander

Top 4: Cust struck out swinging against Verlander

Top 5: Called out on strikes against Verlander

Top 8: Called out on strikes against Al Alburquerque

Top 9: RBI double off of Brad Thomas

Final Line: 1-for-5, 2B, RBI, 4 K

NOTES: With his golden sombrero against the Tigers on Wednesday, Cust has now fanned 29 times in 79 at-bats and sports a .177/.316/.203 slash line.  The fading slugger has struck out multiple times in eight of his 22 games.

Total 2011 Sombreros: 14

Considering the swing-and-miss arsenal that Justin Verlander possesses, he’s always been someone who lets his nastiness do the talking, rather than try to out-think opposing hitters.  After all, that’s essentially the catcher’s job anyway. Verlander is a pitcher who’s at his best when he isn’t over-thinking a given situation.

Well, it seems that his little brain might have been working a bit too hard as he prepared to face the A’s David DeJesus, with Daric Barton (always a threat to steal) taking a baby lead at first base.

What happened next is totally unprecedented and perhaps the wackiest balk in the history of the game.  Believe me, I have seen some crazy stuff on the baseball field, but nothing as bizarre as this.

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