Have you ever noticed what some of these guys do before they hit the live pitch? Some of these warm-ups can be interesting.
Like the Derek Jeter ritual. He steps into the batter’s box and then raises his right hand to the plate umpire requesting overtime to get ready to bat. He does it most of the time he hits. This is Derek’s way of preparing to win.
Take Hideki Matsui. He steps into the batter’s box, takes a couple of swings, and then looks somewhere between the left field foul pole and the third base dugout for about a second. Gradually moving your head to look at the pitcher is his next move. He sometimes moves his right shoulder. He now he is ready to hit.
I remember Chuck Knoblach’s style. He would go into the batter’s box and follow a routine that was always exactly the same. He unbuttoned and put his batting gloves back on. He always took the same number of practice swings. He always put his hand on his batting helmet to adjust it. He always put one foot in the batter’s box, waited a second, then put the other foot in. It was usual in his actions.
I also remember Tito Fuentes and Jimmy Piersall always putting a cross in the dirt before they got in the batter’s box… I guess they thought God would look kindly on them. But what would God do if the pitcher also drew a cross in the dirt before each pitch? That is a question for another day.
Hank Aaron had a unique style in the way he approached hitting. Walking up to the plate to bat with his batting helmet in hand, he seemed to survey the entire field. As he was about to enter the batter’s box, he would slowly put on his helmet as he surveyed the ballpark. He would take a couple of hits and then he would be ready to hit.
Other players have their own things. Like making the sign of the cross, or wiping the dirt off your cleats, or taking aim with the bat, like Rocky Colavito used to do. These quirks can be very entertaining.
As you watch today’s players before the bat, look for some interesting features in their warm-ups. They can be interesting and sometimes very funny. Some players may vary their warm-up. Many don’t. They do the same thing every time. See for yourself.
