The High Five Is A Recent Innovation It seems like the simple gesture of one person slapping another's palm in victory must have been around forever, but in truth, it may even be younger than you are. At a pro baseball game in 1977, Dodger player Dusty Baker hit his 30th home run of the season. As he rounded home and passed his teammate Glenn Burke in the on-deck circle, Burke raised his hand in excited greeting. On instinct, Baker reached up and slapped it because, he said, "it seemed like the thing to do." Thus the high-five was born.​