The Strangest Pre-Game Rituals in MLB History

Image via Complex Original

Some ballplayers relax with a game of cards. Some ballplayers relax by turning on the clubhouse PS4. While with the Kansas City Royals, Bo Jackson relaxed by peppering the targets of an improvised clubhouse range with a bow and arrow. It sounds like the type of thing that’d be terrifying, but teammates seemed more intrigued than concerned. At times, they allowed Bo to play locker room William Tell and pick apples out of their hands. This, of course, is just the type of preparation that 29-year playoff droughts are made of.

If you have a superstition and you’re an MVP candidate, then maybe you’re onto something. But if you’re a journeyman minor leaguer with three career plate appearances, what are you worried about jinxing? That’s the case for former farmhand Ron Wright, who shaved his forearms daily for an extra bit of good luck. In 2002, he finally got a chance to test his hair-free theory in the big leagues. He struck out, grounded into a triple play, and then (in his final at-bat) fared slightly better, only grounding into a double play. In three trips to the dish he made six outs. We think that it’s fair to say the forearm trick didn’t work. Consider us just as shocked as Wright.

Former World Series-winning manager Jim Leyland won over 1,700 games in a career that spanned four decades. One of the many tricks up his sleeve (or down his pants) was his refusal to wash or change his briefs during a period of 12 consecutive wins in 2011. Apparently Leyland felt that it was worth putting up with a losing streak in his undies for a winning streak on the field.

You may now read that headline and say ‘big deal—I was doing that back in the day.’ But that’s not what we’re referencing. Instead, we’re alluding to Hall of Famer (and Negro League legend) Satchel Paige’s propensity to have his right arm rubbed down with axle grease before every start. This, Paige reasoned, would allow him to pitch nine innings every time. Obviously this doesn’t sound very empirical. But after the color barrier was broken, Paige became the oldest rookie in MLB history, debuting at the age of 42. Clearly he was doing something right. And in an era where it seems that every other pitcher’s getting Tommy John surgery, we figure there’s really nothing to lose by adopting this method.

The 1894 Baltimore Orioles won 24 of their final 25 games to bring the National League pennant to Charm City. Their own good luck charm consisted of drinking a glass of turkey gravy every day before batting practice as a team. Perhaps the fact that they chugged gravy was a team building exercise that keyed their success, or perhaps—and this is probably more likely—it was because they blatantly cheated. They deadened balls by icing them. They put soap around the pitcher’s mound so opposing pitcher got slippery fingers if they used the dirt to get a better grip. They also made their baselines lopsided so bunts would roll foul. It’s really no wonder they went 52-15 at home. Unfortunately, their good luck charm ran out in the postseason, where they got swept (4-0) in the inaugural Temple Cup by the second-place New York Giants. But that’s okay; they just pretended that it never happened and declared themselves champions anyway.

Remember that Jim Carrey movie, 23, where everything is connected to (get this) the number 23 in some way? He looks at the clock and it’s 12:11, he has two dimes and three pennies in his pocket, he turns on the TV and there’s a Michael Jordan highlight reel playing? From what I remember, it was that for about an hour and a half. Apparently Jim Carrey would’ve bagged himself a Razzie but, you know, Eddie Murphy and Norbit….

Anyway, former NL MVP Larry Walker has a similar relationship with the same number (minus 20). When waking up in the morning, he set his alarm for 33 minutes past the hour. When he took batting practice, he took hacks in multiples of three. This obsession stemmed well beyond his pregame ritual. While with the Expos, he bought 33 tickets for 33 disadvantaged kids and seated them in section 333. He got married on November third at 3:33 p.m. (seems March would’ve made more sense, but whatever). Things didn’t work out and he got divorced three years later, with his ex-wife getting a three million dollar settlement. That’s pretty eerie. 

Oh, and also note his number up top.

As a starting pitcher, Derek Holland only engaged in his pregame ritual once every five days, but when he did, he gorged on enough fast food to hibernate. He no longer indulges in the practice of hitting up Taco Bell or Wendy’s the night before each start. But back when he cared not about his waistline, his typical tab was 30 bucks. Think about what you could get at each of those establishments for $30—scratch that—$10. To demonstrate his lust for the drive-thru, Holland ran off his typical Taco Bell order: “Four cheesy gordita crunches with cool ranch taco shells, a spicy volcano burrito, a chicken quesadilla, and to finish it all off, a caramel apple empanada.” According to his scouting report, Holland’s fastball tops out at 95 mph. Now you know where he gets his gas from.

All a bat is is a hunk of wood. It has no ingrained power. This is obvious. But that’s evidently not how Hall of Famer Richie Ashburn felt about his lumber. If Ashburn was in the midst of a hot streak, he wanted to use the same bat every time he stepped to the dish. That led to a mild case of neurosis in the form of Ashburn sleeping with his bat because he didn’t believe in leaving it in the clubhouse or dugout. Later, upon reflecting on his habit, Ashburn said, “I’ve been in bed with a lot of old bats in my day.” We should all be so lucky.

While playing with the Milwaukee Braves, outfielder Rico Carty started a tradition that would last the entirety of his 17-year career. Whether at home or on the road, Carty would float five candles in both his bathtub and toilet before every game. Every one. That’s a lot of candles. It’s something that a crazy person might do, unless you make an All-Star team (which Carty did), in which case you’re a mad genius. Besides, there are far worse things that you could leave floating in your commode.

Both Moises Alou and Jorge Posada were old-school throwbacks, and by that we mean they were some of the last hitters to not wear batting gloves to the plate. Instead, they went with a more organic method, and by that we mean they pissed on their hands to “toughen them up.” Whether or not that actually works is up for debate (and if this is up for debate, we know what side we’d lean towards). You see, urine contains urea, which is frequently used in moisturizers and actually makes the skin softer. We’re not sure if either Moises or Jorge ever found this out in their combined 36 years of Major League ball, but if they did, we’re sure they felt silly.