The 9 Best Baseball Superstitions
The game of baseball has a long history of superstition. I’m sure you’ve heard of the curse of the Bambino, players refusing to shave, and pre-game routines. Pitchers are known to be the most superstitious of all baseball players. So much so, that non-pitchers think they’re all crazy.
The funny thing about baseball superstitions is that they can arise at any time depending on the good or bad experience of the game.
Baseball superstitions are fascinating and deeply rooted in baseball folklore. Here are my top nine baseball superstitions. I’m wearing nine to go with that “superstition” theme – wave a leg!
Top 9 Baseball Superstitions
1. Do not step on the free throw line when entering or leaving the field
Shooters and managers are always very careful not to touch that free throw line.
2. Eating the same meal before every game
Wade Boggs, who played for the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, was famous for eating chicken before games.
3. Leave the pitcher alone and don’t talk about a no-hitter
This is one of the superstitions that almost all baseball players adhere to. The last thing any player wants to do is curse at their pitcher when he has a no-hitter. Superstition says: if you talk about it, the no-hitter will be broken.
4. lucky bat or glove
Some players must have a lucky bat and/or glove to be successful (in their mind). But what happens when they break their lucky bat?
5. Sign of the cross/pointing to heaven
You see it every day. Players pointing to the sky to give thanks and players making the sign of the cross before getting into the batter’s box.
6.Hitting the bat at Plate
It seems that all players do this. I guess it’s similar to knocking on wood!
7. Sitting in the same place on the bench
You may not have heard of this one, but it is very, very common. If you watch your favorite Major League Baseball team over the course of the season, you’ll notice that players tend to sit in a specific area on the dugout with the same group of guys.
8. not shave
Jason Giambi of the New York Yankees has made him famous. Early in the 2008 season, Jason didn’t shave for a couple of days and then had a big day at the plate. So much so that he grew a mustache. Believe it or not, he went on an incredible hitting streak for the next few weeks. It became such a furor with fans and the media that the Yankees front office actually promoted it with a mustachioed Jason Giambi Bobble Head Doll day. This is a classic.
9. Going to the same restaurant or diner before every playoff game
In Game 4 of the 1998 World Series, Jim Leyritz of the New York Yankees hit a three-run home run off Mark Wohlers of the Atlanta Braves. That home run changed the momentum of the series and led the Yankees to win the World Series. After hitting that home run, Jim returned to the same restaurant he had eaten at the day he hit the three-run home run. It worked! – The Yankees won four of the next five world championships.
There you have it, the top nine baseball superstitions that make baseball what it is. The next time you’re watching a game and your team needs a few runs to win the game… Put on your rally hats and become part of the baseball mystique, maybe your team will win – “Knock on Wood”