A month rests on the calendar until the MLB season is in full swing, but the stuffy nature of the game’s purists is already high. During a Mets spring training game, pitcher Noah Syndergaard was eating lunch in the clubhouse while his team played. David Wright took offense to this selfish act, citing is under one of the famous “unwritten rules” of baseball. Unwritten rules in baseball are nothing new; from jaw cancer to sexism in the dugouts, there are plenty to go around. To help educate our readers, we’ve managed to track down the origins and write the rules on some of baseball’s lesser-known unwritten rules.
Don’t feed the clubhouse Cthulhu
Yes, each team keeps a Cthulhu in their home clubhouse in order to keep the spirits of dead baseball pundits at bay. Sure, you think it’s fun when the ghost of Babe Ruth visits you while you’re getting ready for the game, but once the pre-game food goes missing for the fourth game in a row, you’ll want that Cthulhu around. You need to keep the Cthulhu hungry in order for it to be the most effective soul fighter it can be.
Big League Chew is used to determine batting order
It depends on the manager, but Big League Chew still decides one of the biggest strategical moves in the Major Leagues. Whether it’s a bubble blowing contest, who can fit all the chew in their mouth or a distance spitting contest, Big League chew just isn’t for tobacco replicating youths.
Base coaching signals are mostly about television shows
Will Olivia Pope and Fitz will ever wind up together? Do you think Abbi and Ilana smoke weed all day long? Who will get murdered next on Game of Thrones? These are but a few of the topics players and coaches discuss through the art of mime. Sure they could update it and have an email or text thread, or even structure a team meeting, but tradition is tradition!
Managers wear a suit under their uniform
Baseball is the only sport that makes their coaches wear the same uniforms of the team. But in order to differentiate themselves from every other guy in a full baseball uniform, managers wear a full suit under their team colors. They make sure to be seen strolling around the clubhouse in the suit before they put on the stirrups. It’s a practice as old as time meant to remind players who is boss. It gets incredibly uncomfortable for many managers, so they have adapted to turning their jacket and shirts into short sleeves. But some traditionalists, like the Orioles’ skipper Buck Showalter, still goes regular sleeve size.
