Baseball’s full of magic—if you know where to look. Yes, it’s a weird game, but that’s why we love it, right?
I’ve always loved this game, but not just for the home runs or walk-offs. It’s the little things that make baseball feel bigger than sports. The routines. The quirks. The weird stuff players (and fans) do that somehow matter—even if they technically don’t.
And if you’ve been around the game long enough, you start to realize something: baseball is held together by superstitions. I coached all my kids and we played in 22 states as they navigated their younger years. One played college and the other two were high school standouts. Along the way, I saw lots of eye-brow raising antics and quirks. I have to say I adopted a few of them.
Some make you laugh. Others make you scratch your head. But they all remind you that baseball isn’t just about talent or timing. It’s about rhythm, rituals, and a whole lot of mojo.
So, let’s take a break from the standings and lineups and dive into the strange and sacred side of the sport—where lucky thongs and licorice chew up the spotlight, and not stepping on the foul line just might save the season.
Don’t Say It Out Loud!
Let’s start with the one most fans already know: you do NOT talk about a no-hitter in progress. It doesn’t matter if it’s the fifth inning or the ninth—if a pitcher hasn’t allowed a hit, everyone in the dugout suddenly stops talking to him. He’ll sit alone on the bench, avoided like he’s contagious. And announcers? They’ll start talking in riddles: “He’s really keeping the bats quiet tonight,” or “We’ll just let the box score do the talking.”
Say the words “no-hitter,” and you might as well have thrown salt over your shoulder and broken a mirror—at the same time. I’ve done that – as an announcer – then tried to eat my words, but the cat’s already out of the bag.
Rituals on Repeat
Superstitions in baseball aren’t just about silence. They’re about repetition. And a lot of it.
Some hitters have pre-pitch routines that are so detailed that they look choreographed. Think of Nomar Garciaparra adjusting his batting gloves—left, then right, then left again—before every pitch. Others tap their cleats, tug their jerseys, or take the exact same number of practice swings, no matter what.
These aren’t just habits. In the minds of players, they hold the key to success.
Chicken, Gold Thongs, and Black Licorice?
Oh, it gets weirder.
- Wade Boggs, Hall of Fame third baseman, famously ate chicken before every game. His routine was so consistent he earned the nickname “Chicken Man.”
- Jason Giambi had a go-to solution for slumps: a gold thong. Yes, really. He even lent it out to teammates in need of a little mojo. A little much for me. No pictures, please!
- Turk Wendell, a quirky reliever, chewed black licorice on the mound, brushed his teeth between innings, and leapt over the foul line every time he entered or exited the field.
- And Moises Alou? Another one that fits into the “no pictures please” category. He skipped batting gloves entirely, claiming he toughened his hands by urinating on them. I’ll just…leave that one right there.
The Managers Aren’t Immune
Managers get in on the action too. Jim Leyland, for example, wouldn’t wash his socks or underwear during winning streaks. It may sound gross, but hey—if the team’s rolling, you don’t mess with the mojo. Not to mention that baseball managers and coaches wear uniforms, unlike any other major sport.
Fans Are Just as Crazy
Think it’s just the players? Not a chance. Fans have their own brand of baseball voodoo:
- Wear the same jersey for every game during a winning streak.
- Sit in the same spot on the couch—or else.
- Watch alone if the team wins, avoid the watch party if they lose.
One Nationals fan even became famous for “sacrificing” rubber chickens to reverse bad luck. You can’t make this stuff up.
Mark Fidrych: The Patron Saint of Quirks
And then there’s Mark Fidrych—a.k.a. “The Bird.” In the 1970s, Fidrych captured the hearts of baseball fans with his eccentric antics: talking to the ball, manicuring the mound by hand, and engaging in full conversations with himself on the field. He was electric, unpredictable, and fully committed to his rituals.
He didn’t just play baseball—he performed it.
Fashion Choices, Foul Lines & Respect for the Plate
Superstition even sneaks into how players dress. One of the most visible examples? Pants up or pants down. Some players rock high socks—channeling the old-school look and maybe hoping to tap into some vintage baseball mojo. Others prefer the pajama-pants look, swearing it makes them feel more comfortable and confident. It’s part style, part statement, and for many—part superstition.
Then there’s the foul line jump. This one’s practically sacred. Watch closely and you’ll see players hop, leap, or carefully step over the chalk line as they take the field or head back to the dugout. Stepping on it? Not an option. It’s subtle, but to a ballplayer, it’s serious.
Another rarely spoken, yet widely practiced move happens as players approach the batter’s box. Rather than walking across home plate, many hitters take a wide arc behind the umpire, avoiding the plate entirely. It’s seen as a sign of respect for the game—or, depending on the player, a way to stay in rhythm and avoid a jinx.
Speaking of respecting the game, here’s another piece you may be interested in. RESPECT THE GAME.
The Bottom Line
At the end of the day, baseball is a game of inches—and maybe even a game of habits and hope. Whether it’s crossing your fingers during a rally or eating chicken on game day, these quirks make the game feel personal. Human.
They don’t always make sense. But you know what? That’s the point.
Baseball’s not just about skill. It’s about spirit. And if a lucky glove adjustment or a well-timed foul-line hop helps keep that spirit alive, then I say: carry on, superstition soldiers.
Because in this beautiful, bizarre game we love, sometimes the weird stuff is what makes it wonderful.
Got any quirks and superstitions you need to tell us about?
ALL THINGS ASTROS 
27 responses to “Baseball Superstitions: The Quirky, Sacred, and Just Plain Weird”
Great stuff Dan, and very true.
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Hey Larry – wish I could take credit – but this is written by THE Chip of Chipalatta – Chip Bailey. I had surgery on my finger and he has been helping out and I hope it continues even after I recover.
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It’s very early, but Cam Smith seems a bit overwhelmed at the plate. Do you think management has him on a short leash? In bringing this up, he will of course, have three hits with a homer today.
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Larry – that sounds like a superstition I talk about below….but yeah they must have a certain length of time (leash) they will give him before giving him a reassignment.
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Great day today – the Cougars (I’m Class of 1979) made a comeback for the ages last night and made many neutral hoops fans happy by sending Duke home. My son did say that a bunch of gamblers are phoning in to Sunday morning gambling shows and moaning about their sure thing bet for Duke imploding on them. Boo-hoo. This is the Coogs’ 7th trip to the Final 4 and 3rd trip to the final game – can they finally bring home the trophy? I would love that.
Thanks again to Chip for writing some fun posts for us to enjoy.
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I’ll be honest with you. My favorite baseball blog has been around for years, but I am not going to jinx that by commenting on any superstitions!
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Dan, I slept through that comeback last night. And to be honest, I had picked Duke in my Bracket to meet up with Auburn on Monday night. Wrong again, and twice!
Back in the day, when I settled at the line for a couple of foul shots, I didn’t want any interaction with anyone, except the ref, and I wanted that ball right back on one hop. I did not get many scoring opportunities on the basketball court, so I wanted to be good on the line. Kind of like Reid Gettys!
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I want to keep the game moving. The last time I played basketball we had a running clock outside the last couple minutes, so wasting time between free throws was the last thing we wanted to do. When pitching, I would have done fine with the pitch clock as I waited on the batter far more than they waited on me. My biggest pet peeve has to do with the old adjustment of the batting gloves and other nonsense from hitters that is either a routine or superstition, but I don’t know what. Get in and swing the bat!
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Espada’s old habits continue. He used our closer, Hader, in a tied ballgame instead of using him exclusively for closing. Thus, he threw two innings (29 pitches) and will probably be unavailable tomorrow.
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Great comeback win for the Astros today and they acted much like a team coming out of a funk. Tonight they called up Logan VanWey for his first taste of MLB. He will join up with the team tomorrow in Seattle.
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Contreras who has been pouring gas on the fire is likely going down
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Correct!
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The Astros needed that comeback. They got ten hits and seven RBI’s out of the first four guys in the lineup. Sure helps. And at some point, Yainer will hit. I don’t know about the other guys though. I still think Zach does not look over matched at the plate. But he won’t get a whole lot of at bats for now. If Jake can remain selective, that sure would help too. Sarge, I agree that Hader should be used as our closer. But I think I would have made the same decision Espada did yesterday. The team came from way down. It would have been tough to stomach giving that one back. Tonight is a big night for our 5th starter. Hayden, Gusto wants your job.
I wonder what happened to Forrest? That bruise is going to keep him out at least until the end of the month. I wonder how that injury happened?
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What’s going on with Tucker and Bregman? By the way they’re playing, they seem happy to be gone from Houston.
And how about Wilyer Abreu? That might have been the one really bad Click decision. He’s got a 5.1 WAR in 170 games. He’s for real.
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Let’s see combined – Tucker and Bregman have 20 runs scored, 7 HRs and 25 RBIs.
The Astros as a team have 27 runs scored, 6 HRs and 24 RBIs.
YAAAARRRGGGHHH!!
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Tucker looks like the guy we had last year. Bregman is looking normal to me, but consider the HR he hit yesterday was estimated to have gone 411 feet to CF even though it cleared just to the right of the 379ft sign. It’s an out in every other ballpark. The Red Sox were up 7-1 when he hit it. Outside of a 2 run HR against Baltimore he’s been really quiet. You’re right it would be nice to have Abreu right now!
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Bregman is having fun early in the season which is rare for him. It’s a quirky park but I noted the 106 EV which is unusual for him. I won’t quibble about how many feet it might not have gone, but it was hit well.
And Tucker has been remarkable after a slow start. Dan’s numbers illustrate just how much both guys have done in a small sample.
Devin, you think maybe they were both ready to leave Houston?
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Dave, that’s a complicated answer to guess at. I would say both reached the conclusion that Crane would not give them a contract matching what they could find elsewhere. For Tucker that probably meant he was mentally prepared to leave after this season. For Bregman the decision was likely made a long time ago while he was still in uniform. I’m not holding it against them. I would expect both are happy with their current locations and chances to win in 2025.
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Diaz at DH…which moves Altuve back to 2B and Yordan to LF tonight.
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Arrighetti hit in the hand by a Mariners batter taking batting practice – Arighetti playing catch in the outfield.
Arrighetti has a broken thumb
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The only silver lining here is that he’ll have a lower innings count as we approach the end of the year. Of course, the Astros have to weather his absence and be in contention for that to matter in 2025.
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That’s a crushing blow. Right hand. Long recovery.
Hayden Wesneski is the most valuable piece of the Tucker deal so far.
Yainer is as lost as anyone right now.
We need Framber to throw an ace type game tonight.
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Gosh, after a whole bunch of hoops, I’m just catching up on baseball. Vlad Jr. getting 14 years at 500? Assuming Tucker does not have another injury in 2025 and has a typical Tucker year, he’ll get that same 500 or more over 12 years from someone. Tucker is going to age better than Vlad, who is already bad at first. He’ll be a DH sooner than later.
Darn, 3 turnovers in the last 53 seconds for the Coogs. They just could not put the ball in the basket late. Give the Gators credit for playing Houston type defense down the stretch. I also thought the refs called a different game in the second half, which forced the Coogs to back off on their aggressiveness.
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I guess Hollywood couldn’t have written a horror movie script worse than Monday in Seattle. Tucker named NL POW. Bregman named AL POW and the Astros get only two hits in a loss to the Mariners. Then there’s Arrighetti with a fluke injury. Alfred Hitchcock is back!
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1oldpro, the beauty of this “script” however, is that the movie isn’t over. The Astros can right their own ending, especially if the three guys work out decently (or better)…and if they have to acquire another arm or player with the money that Bregman may have used up…well, another plus…
I tend to take the same approach with a baseball season as I do with my retirement funds. Don’t let short-term fears dictate your long-term decisions (or opinions, in this case). We’re still in small-sample sizes, so check back at least in June or July…
If, indeed, Tucker gets the $500 million that some predict next year, at least the Astros have picked up three seemingly-reliable players (instead of getting zilch). All you need is one or two of them to really click, IMO.
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I wonder how much the Astros are paying the Braves to take Montero? Timing seems odd, we’re not overloaded with pitching right now either.
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Chip mentioned to me – that maybe they are setting up to get a starter to replace Arrighetti
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