New York Yankees legend Jorge Posada reminded fans this week at Fanatics Fest about his most disgusting yearly ritual for success. He used to urinate on his hands to improve his bat grip.
Posada is a beloved figure in Yankees lore. Not only was he a talented backstop, but the five-time All-Star was also an outstanding hitter. MLB teams expect not to get much hitting from their catchers. But the native of Puerto Rico hit over .270 for his career and smashed 20 or more homers in eight seasons.
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What also made him different from most was that he was one of the last star players to not use batting gloves. Gloves can be very beneficial for a playerβs bat grip. Yet, the five-time World Series winner did not need them. He had his own way of maintaining a strong grip.
βJorge didnβt use batting gloves. And it would be snowing out, or cold, or rain would always give him trouble because he couldnβt grip the bat,β fellow Yankees great Alex Rodriguez said at a fan Q&A this week at Fanatics Fest. βWhat would you do to help heal the things you would have, like calluses?β
Jorge Posada stats (Career): .273 AVG, .374 OBP, .474 SLG, .848 OPS, 275 HR, 1,065 RBI, 900 R
In response, Posada reminded fans he didnβt use this practice throughout the season. Just in spring training. βIn spring training, you didnβt want to shake my hands. Because I would pee on my hands to harden my hands. True story.β
As disgusting as the idea will seem, Posada was not the first or only player to use the practice. Fellow MLB greats like Luis Tiant, Vladimir Guerrero Sr., and Moises Alou also peed on their hands instead of using batting gloves.
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