It’s no secret that baseball players have their — quirks — to put it nicely, but just how devoted major leaguers are to their “routines” may come as a bit of a surprise.
To celebrate Friday the 13th, ESPN’s Tim Kurkjian compiled some of MLB’s most absurd, but ultimately fascinating, superstitions from players around the league. Kurkjian opened a window into a dark, mysterious world that players typically don’t like to discuss, but two out of the many, many players he talked to call Boston their home. Jonny Gomes and David Ross provided some insight into their pregame rituals and in-game superstitions that they perform day-in and day-out.
“If there’s anything that comes in twos, like shoes or socks or batting gloves, I always have to put the right one on first,” Gomes revealed. “If in an emergency situation, I wake up in the middle of the night, and without thinking, I put my left shoe on first, I will realize my mistake, and I will sit down and put my right shoe on first, then my left. When it comes to twos, the right has to come first. It has always been that way.”
While Gomes is preoccupied with lefts and rights, Ross instead focuses his worries on a specific pair of socks he has to wear. The Red Sox catcher even takes the blame for one of the 59 losses Boston has endured this season.
“The only thing I have to have right is my socks,” Ross says. “We are winning this year, and I’m wearing an American flag on one sock and the stars from the flag on the other sock. I always, always wear the stars on the right foot. But I did it wrong one day and we lost, so I’ll never make that mistake again. The stars have to be on the right foot. If we lose a game, I don’t want it to be my fault for wearing the wrong socks.”
The 2013 season has been nothing short of magical for this group of players. After becoming the first team to win 90 games on Friday night, the Red Sox hold a commanding nine-game lead over the Rays in the AL East, and they will look to continue their success with a deep postseason run. Just remember to thank Ross’ patriotic socks and Gomes’ obsessiveness with twos in October.
“You can’t explain this stuff. We are all screwed up,” Gomes said with a smile. “That’s what the game does to us. And that’s why the game is so awesome.”
