Tigers Minor League Baseball Blog

If you ever see a minor league pitcher in the Detroit organization on a Sunday before the game he is most likely a little more cheerful than normal. This is due to the fact that we have a little code for Sundays known simply as “No-Run Day.” This little mantra has absolutely nothing to do with setting a goal for the outcome of the game to come. No, this is regarding our pre-game conditioning routine. Since we play most everyday, we have to get in work, which is like a practice, before the game. I have mentioned before about how a pitcher’s routine usually includes some kind of complaint about having to run before the game. The comedian Lewis Black put it in terms which I understand best on the subject of running: He said, “I’ll never understand running, especially on a treadmill.” (We run on the outfield track) “My thought is, that if you run for twenty or so minutes, you should end up somewhere else (we are still in the ballpark).” Well on Sundays there is no need for any of this. Everything before the game is done at the convenience of each individual player and for some reason it make us happier than a kid on a snow day. This is somewhat ironic though because we are constantly striving to get better and staying in shape is one of the things which improves our skills. Not on this day though, because sometimes being happy and excited to be at the field can do just as much as a good run.