Baseball players aren't exactly known for being a rational bunch. From the early days of the game through modern times, players have clung to some pretty strange habits, convinced these rituals were the secret sauce to their success. Let's dive into 25 of the weirdest and most fascinating superstitions that players swore by from the late 19th century through the 1990s.

THE EARLY DAYS: SUPERSTITIONS TAKE ROOT

Hughie Jennings and His "Ee-Yah!" War Cry

Hughie Jennings (SS/MGR, DET) might've been the most superstitious player of the Deadball Era. Starting in the 1890s, Jennings would shout "Ee-Yah!" before every at-bat, hop on one foot, then tug his ear. But his most painful superstition? Getting hit by pitches. Jennings purposely crowded the plate and was plunked 287 times in his career – still one of the highest totals ever.

"I've got to get hit," Jennings once told The Sporting News in 1907. "It's my system. I can't hit unless I get hit."

His teammates thought he was nuts, but it worked – Jennings batted .312 lifetime and made the Hall of Fame.

Rube Waddell's Fire Engine Fascination

Rube Waddell (LHP, PHI) was already known as baseball's biggest oddball, but his strangest superstition involved fire engines. From 1902-1907, Waddell would literally run off the field mid-game if he heard a fire engine siren. He believed chasing the truck would bring him good luck in his next start.

The Athletics had to include a clause in his contract forbidding him from chasing fire engines. Connie Mack, his manager, told baseball writer Fred Lieb: "We never knew if Rube would finish an inning or chase a fire truck down Broad Street."

Despite this weirdness (or because of it?), Waddell led the American League in strikeouts six straight seasons.

Rabbit Maranville's Pre-Game Dance

Charles "Rabbit" Maranville (SS, BOS/PIT/CHC/BRO/STL) had a pre-game ritual that started in 1914 and lasted his entire 23-year career. Before every game, Maranville would perform a bizarre hopping dance in the clubhouse, leaping from locker to locker while whistling "Little Brown Jug."

"If I don't do my hop, my glove feels like it's filled with lead," Maranville told Baseball Magazine in 1922. His teammates gave him space during his ritual, which seemed to work – Maranville was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1954.

THE 1920s-30s: SUPERSTITIONS GET SERIOUS

Rogers Hornsby's Book Ban

Rogers Hornsby (2B, STL/NYG/BOS/CHC) refused to read books or watch movies during baseball season, believing they would harm his eyesight and ruin his hitting. This wasn't just an occasional thing – from 1920 until his retirement, Hornsby followed this rule religiously.

"Do you know what happens to guys who read books? Their eyes go bad," Hornsby told a young Stan Musial in 1941. Considering Hornsby's .358 lifetime average (second only to Ty Cobb), maybe he was onto something.

Babe Ruth's Home Plate Ritual

Babe Ruth (OF/P, BOS/NYY) stepped on home plate with his right foot at precisely 3:15 pm before every home game. If Ruth arrived at the stadium late and missed his ritual time, he'd become visibly upset and often played poorly.

Yankees teammate Waite Hoyt recalled: "Ruth was the most superstitious man I ever saw. If he didn't tap that plate at exactly 3:15, he'd pout like a kid and we knew we were in trouble that day."

Ruth also never allowed anyone to clean his cap, believing all his home run power lived in the dirt and sweat stains.

Pepper Martin's Black Cat Bonus

John "Pepper" Martin (3B/OF, STL) carried a black cat charm in his pocket throughout the Cardinals' 1931 World Series victory. But it went deeper than that – Martin would pay clubhouse boys $5 (big money back then) to find black cats for him to pet before big games.

"The blacker the cat, the better I hit," Martin told The St. Louis Post-Dispatch during the '31 Series, where he batted .500 with 12 hits. When no black cats could be found before Game 7, Martin went hitless – confirming his belief in the superstition.

Lefty Gomez's First Base Ritual

Vernon "Lefty" Gomez (LHP, NYY) would touch first base with his glove before taking the mound each inning. If he forgot, he'd walk all the way back from the mound to touch it, no matter how far he'd gone.

"I'm not taking any chances with those baseball gods," Gomez told the New York Daily News in 1936. "They'll turn on you quick if you don't respect the rituals."

His Yankees teammates calculated he walked an extra mile each season because of this habit.

THE 1940s: WARTIME WEIRDNESS

Ted Williams' Pre-Game Routine Fixation

Ted Williams (OF, BOS) took batting practice at exactly the same time every day. He'd swing precisely 15 times in the batting cage, no more, no less. Williams also insisted on using the exact same bat for batting practice through an entire homestand.

"If you saw Ted's practice routine, you'd think he was crazy," Red Sox teammate Bobby Doerr told Sports Illustrated in 1969. "But he'd go nuts if anything changed. Once the bat boy brought him 16 balls instead of 15, and Ted wouldn't start until they took one away."

Dom DiMaggio's Glasses Routine

Dom DiMaggio (OF, BOS) believed his glasses had to be spotless for him to hit well. Between every at-bat, and even between pitches, DiMaggio would clean his glasses with a special handkerchief he kept in his back pocket.

Red Sox teammate Johnny Pesky recalled: "Dom must've cleaned those glasses 50 times a game. But don't laugh – the one day in 1948 he lost that handkerchief, he went 0-for-5 with three strikeouts."

DiMaggio himself admitted in his autobiography that he'd rather face the pitcher without his glasses than with smudged ones.

Phil Rizzuto's Cross Pattern

Phil Rizzuto (SS, NYY) would draw a cross in the dirt before each at-bat, then say a quick prayer. But the superstition had specific rules – he'd only use his left spike, and the cross had to be precisely the same size every time.

"The cross has to be perfect," Rizzuto told The Sporting News in 1950. "If I mess it up, I'll erase it and start over, even if the pitcher's ready." His ritual became so well-known that opposing pitchers would sometimes scuff up the dirt to disrupt his concentration.

Johnny Sain's Rain Ritual

Johnny Sain (RHP, BOS/NYY) had a saying that became famous throughout baseball: "Spahn and Sain and pray for rain." But Sain took it literally – he believed he pitched better in games following rainouts and developed a bizarre ritual when rain threatened.

"Johnny would stand by the window in the clubhouse staring at clouds for hours," teammate Warren Spahn told Baseball Digest in 1964. "If it started sprinkling, he'd run outside without a jacket to 'encourage' the rain to keep coming."

THE 1950s: MICKEY, YOGI, AND RITUAL MADNESS

Mickey Mantle's Number Obsession

Mickey Mantle (OF, NYY) was haunted by his father's early death at age 39 and developed number-based superstitions. Mantle would always touch first, third, and fifth base (adding up to 9) when running out to centerfield.

"Mickey counted everything," Yankees teammate Whitey Ford told the New York Post in 1974. "Steps to the plate, warm-up swings, everything had to add up to certain numbers. If they didn't, he'd add extra steps or swings until they did."

Yogi Berra's Pre-Game Silence

Yogi Berra (C, NYY) refused to speak to anyone between the end of batting practice and the start of the game. For about 30 minutes each day, the usually chatty Berra sit silently in the dugout, staring at the field.

"It's my thinking time," Berra explained to Sport Magazine in 1956. "If I talk during my quiet time, we'll lose." Teammates respected the ritual so much that they would physically block reporters from approaching Berra during this sacred period.

Richie Ashburn's Bat Collection

Richie Ashburn (OF, PHI) slept with his bats when he was hitting well. Not just one bat – all of them. During a hot streak in 1958, Ashburn brought eight bats to his hotel room and arranged them around his bed.

"I know how it sounds," Ashburn admitted to The Philadelphia Inquirer in 1959, "but they get lonely in the bat rack overnight. They need company or they won't hit for you."

Hotel maids reportedly refused to clean his room during these streaks.

Early Wynn's Game Day Meanness

Early Wynn (RHP, CLE) believed that being nice on game day would ruin his performance. On days he pitched, Wynn wouldn't speak to anyone – not teammates, not his wife, not even his children.

Indians teammate Bob Feller recalled: "Early would growl at you if you said good morning on his day to pitch. Once, his kid ran up to hug him before a game and Early just walked away. The kid cried, but Early won that day, so in his mind, it was worth it."

THE 1960s: STRANGE GETS STRANGER

Sandy Koufax's Socks

According to clubhouse legend, possibly catcher John Roseboro..."Sandy Koufax (LHP, LA) wore the same unwashed pair of socks for every start during his magical 1963 season when he went 25-5 with a 1.88 ERA. When a clubhouse attendant accidentally washed them mid-season, Koufax lost his next start.”

Dodgers catcher John Roseboro told the Los Angeles Times: "Those socks smelled so bad we made Sandy keep them in a separate locker. But nobody dared say anything because he was pitching so well."

After the accidental washing incident, Koufax spent days "rebuilding" the socks' smell and dirt level.

Maury Wills' Baseline Dash

Maury Wills (SS, LA) would sprint from the dugout to his position at shortstop as fast as he possibly could before each inning. If any teammate beat him to their position, Wills believed he wouldn't steal a base that day.

"I'd elbow guys out of the way to be first on the field," Wills confessed in his autobiography. "A couple times I knocked over bat boys because in my mind, my whole game depended on it."

The superstition seemed to work – Wills stole a then-record 104 bases in 1962.

Jim Bunning's Obsessive Counting

Jim Bunning (RHP, DET/PHI) counted absolutely everything on days he pitched. He'd count steps from the hotel to the taxi, from the taxi to the clubhouse, and from the dugout to the mound.

Phillies teammate Chris Short recalled: "Before Bunning threw his perfect game in 1964, he counted every step he took that day. He knew it was exactly 1,568 steps from his hotel room to the pitcher's mound at Shea Stadium."

Bunning, who later became a U.S. Senator, admitted his counting obsession but claimed it helped him focus.

THE 1970s: BASEBALL GETS WEIRDER

Larry Bowa's First Base Hop

Larry Bowa (SS, PHI) would hop over first base – never touching it – when running out to shortstop at the start of each inning. If he accidentally touched the bag, he believed he'd make an error that inning.

"I hopped over that base for 16 years," Bowa told The Philadelphia Inquirer. "Teammates thought I was crazy, but I only stopped doing it once in 1974, and I made two errors that inning. Never touched it again after that."

Bowa's superstition seemed to work – he won two Gold Gloves and finished with a solid .980 fielding percentage.

Mark Fidrych's Mound Maintenance

Mark "The Bird" Fidrych (RHP, DET) talked to the baseball and meticulously groomed the pitcher's mound before and during his starts. He would get down on his hands and knees to smooth dirt, remove pebbles, and shape the landing area to his exact specifications.

"The ball tells me what to throw," Fidrych explained to bewildered reporters during his magical 1976 rookie season. "And the mound has to be just right or the ball gets upset."

Despite looking certifiably nuts on the mound, Fidrych went 19-9 with a 2.34 ERA that year.

Mike Cuellar's Cap-Flipping

Mike Cuellar (LHP, BAL) would flip his cap inside out between innings when he needed a rally. If the Orioles didn't score, he'd try different cap positions – backward, tilted, even upside down on his head.

Orioles manager Earl Weaver told The Baltimore Sun: "I never interfered with Cuellar's cap rituals. When we needed runs, I'd just look over and see what he was doing with that damn hat. The crazier it looked, the more desperate we were."

"Fresh mouth, fresh innings," Wendell explained. "I've never given up a hit with clean teeth."

Wendell also wore a necklace made of teeth from animals he had hunted and would chew black licorice, then brush his teeth to remove the black color.

Bert Campaneris' Bat-Licking

Bert Campaneris (SS, OAK) licked his bat before every at-bat, believing it would help him make contact. Not just a quick touch – Campaneris would run his tongue from the handle halfway up the barrel.

A's teammate Reggie Jackson remembered: "Campy would lick that bat like it was an ice cream cone. Didn't matter how dirty it was. Once, he fouled a ball off that had pine tar, dirt, and who knows what else on it – then licked it again before the next pitch."


The 1980s: Chicken and Voodoo

Wade Boggs' Chicken Obsession

Wade Boggs (3B, BOS) ate chicken before every game for 17 straight years. Not just any chicken – it had to be prepared exactly the same way each time.

"It started in 1982 in the minors," Boggs told Sports Illustrated. "I had chicken and got three hits, so I had chicken the next day. Got two more hits. So I just kept eating chicken."

Boggs' wife estimated she cooked chicken over 5,000 times during his career. Hotels and restaurants around the American League kept special "Boggs chicken" recipes on hand for when the Red Sox came to town.

Voodoo Man

Pedro Cerrano (1B, CLE) relied on voodoo rituals, including offering sacrifices to Jo-Bu. Cerrano’s primary weakness was his inability to hit breaking balls, especially the curveball. He was prone to swing at pitches outside the strike zone. He exceled at hitting fastballs, hunting them in the strike zone.

Manager Lou Brown, upon seeing Cerrano hit a few fastballs out of the park, he exclaims, "Jesus, this guy hits a ton, how come no one else picked up on him?". This highlights Cerrano's raw power and Brown's initial excitement about his potential. Willie Mays Hayes (OF, CLE) observing Cerrano's pre-game ritual, Willie exclaims: "Cerrano's looking for some extra power for tonight. He's looking to sacrifice a live chicken. Hey Jake, man, we can't have people puking in the locker room before the game!"

Bill Lee's Marijuana Pancakes

Bill "Spaceman" Lee (LHP, BOS/MON) claimed he sprinkled marijuana on his pancakes before games he pitched at Fenway Park. Lee said it helped him handle the stress of pitching in Boston.

"I used to love pitching in the high altitude of Montreal," Lee told the Boston Globe years later. "But for Fenway, I needed special pancakes to deal with the Green Monster and those crazy fans."

While the Red Sox never confirmed this ritual, Lee's eccentric behavior and 3.64 ERA in Fenway (versus 4.07 on the road) give some credence to his claim.

 1990s: Good Oral Hygiene

Turk Wendell's Toothbrush Obsession

Turk Wendell (RHP, CHC) brushed his teeth between every inning he pitched. He kept a toothbrush and toothpaste in the dugout and would dash in for a quick brushing while his team batted.

 WHY DO BALLPLAYERS GET SO SUPERSTITIOUS?

Baseball's unique pace and individual nature make it perfect for superstitions. Unlike faster-paced sports, baseball has lots of downtime for players to think – sometimes too much.

Sports psychologist Dr. Tom Hanson explained in a 1985 Psychology Today article: "Baseball players feel so little control over outcomes that they create rituals to give themselves an illusion of control. The slower pace of baseball, compared to other sports, gives players more time to develop and maintain these superstitious behaviors."

Whether it's talking to baseballs, eating chicken, or sleeping with bats, these rituals provided comfort to players in a sport where failing seven times out of ten makes you a star.

So next time you see a modern player with a strange habit, remember – they're carrying on a tradition as old as the game itself.