Kenley Jansen has things to say
Sometimes baseball rituals are on display for all to see and talk about. Home run celebrations. Base-hit gyrations. Dugout dances. They have become a constant when it comes to helping set the scene for big league ballgames.
But there continues to be one subtle custom executed by Red Sox players that most aren’t familiar with.
It’s the bullpen Red Bull toast.
Upon arriving in the bullpen before the first pitch, all the Red Sox relievers, along with bullpen coach Kevin Walker, gather to help set their own scene. Reliever Brennan Bernardino explains:
“We all get Red Bulls, either regular or sugar-free. Sugar-free is actually going faster now than the regular Red Bulls. We call the regular ones “diesel”. Then we have a toast. If we won the day prior then it sticks with the same guy who gave the toast. And if we had lost that game then he picks somebody else to go. It’s just a motivational thing. It’s a nice toast to get everyone going.”
So, who is the best of the bunch when it comes to the toast?
“You know who I think gives the best one? It is Walker. I think he gives the best ones,” Bernardino said. “He has a good record I want to say. I don’t have any statistics to back that up. But mentally I believe that when he does it we win more games.
Every time it comes to me I think the same thing every time: ‘Man, why didn’t I think of something to say before so I could give a really good one.’ We lost the last time I did it. (Nick) Pivetta had some funny ones when he was out there last year, but he also pumped you up at the same time. Chase (Anderson) had a good one a couple of days ago. It was a good one.”
It’s not scientific or analytical. But it certainly can’t hurt.
As Bernardino said, “It gets everything off on the right foot.”