Some players have a pregame ritual that involves putting on one shoe before the other. Boston Red Sox setup man Adam Ottavino's pregame ritual requires him taking both shoes off.
Before every game, Ottavino practices Earthing. For him, that means stretching in center field, then taking a barefoot lap around the ballpark while listening to Fleetwood Mac, he told Stan Grossfeld of The Boston Globe.
The 35-year-old told Grossfeld he discovered the practice, which is also called Grounding, through some online research last year. Some quick online research revealed the goal is to connect the body to the electrical currents in the earth. A study published in 2012 said there are actually some health benefits to the whole thing.
While Ottavino will practice Earthing whether he's at home or on the road, he said Fenway Park has a unique energy, which he says is due to the park's history. More specifically, it's due to "people that have played here and left their energy behind," he said, via Grossfeld.
Through his practice, he wants to let the spirits to know he comes in peace.
"I feel like it's a sacred field," he told Grossfeld. "I want all the spirits that are in here to favor me. Whether it's real or not, I just try to act like it is."
That's a different attitude toward the spirits than he's had in the past when he said he could strike out Babe Ruth.
The Northeastern product, who was traded to the Red Sox by the New York Yankees in January has 42 strikeouts and 11 earned runs through 36 innings pitched in 39 games, and his seven saves tie his career high.
He can do whatever he wants if he keeps that up.
