Good Luck:
- Spitting into your hand before picking up the bat is said to bring good luck.
- A wad of gum stuck on a player’s hat brings good luck.
- Some players believe it is good luck to step on one of the bases before running off the field at the end of an inning.
- Some players actually sleep with their bat to break out of a hitting slump or stay in a groove.
- Fingers of a player’s glove must be left pointing to his team’s dugout when he goes to bat.
Bad Luck:
- It’s bad luck for the batting team if a dog walks across the playing field.
- It is bad luck to touch the baselines while running off and onto the field between innings.
- If a pitcher is throwing a perfect game or a no-hitter, never speak of it while it’s going on.
- It’s bad luck for Baseball season to begin on a Friday.
- It’s bad luck for a player to meet a member of the clergy on the way to the baseball ground.
- It’s bad luck to have a left handed pitcher on your team.
Many baseball player’s superstitions have to do with what was happening the last time they played really well. If they wore a certain pair of underwear, socks, the facial hair a certain way, when they were winning, they need to keep that streak going as long as possible so they won’t change it while it’s still “working”.
Superstitions About Baseball Bats:
- It’s bad luck to lend your bat to a teammate.
- A split bat is bad luck.
- A bat left lying crosswise in front of a dugout is bad luck.
- It’s good luck to leave a piece of chewing gum stuck to the top of a bat.
- It’s good luck to spit on your hands before picking up a bat.
- If a player changes bats after two strikes they will be struck out.
Superstitions About Women in Baseball:
- Player seeing a cross-eyed woman in the stands is bad luck.
- It’s good luck for a player to see a red-haired woman.