The diet of a professional athlete isn’t always as strict as you might think, but there’s one cheat meal that’s not in Cody Bellinger’s plans anytime soon: chicken wings.
Like probably millions of Americans, Bellinger settled in to watch Monday night’s NCAA Tournament National Championship Game – a treat for him after the Yankees’ Monday game time was moved up to mid-afternoon – and ordered a nice plate of wings from room service at the Yankees’ hotel…and ended up with more than he bargained for: food poisoning that kept him out of Tuesday’s lineup.
“They were good coming in, but I woke up at 4 a.m. sweating and just started throwing up for a few hours,” Bellinger revealed Wednesday. “It was a tough morning. I was down bad yesterday.”
And it was definitely the chicken, as he had ordered just plain wings, no sauces or anything, that caused it – and he knew right away, as he had food poisoning during the Cubs’ London series in 2023.
“I knew exactly what it was,” he said. “It’s no fun.”
Bellinger was feeling better during Tuesday’s game according to manager Aaron Boone, and Cody said he could’ve pinch-hit if needed, although that didn’t happen in the Yankees’ 5-0 loss.
But he’s back in Wednesday’s lineup, a double sigh of relief after he missed two games over the weekend in Pittsburgh with back tightness.
“I feel good today,” Bellinger said. “I slept a ton last night. My one time before was 24 hours, so I’m just hydrating and getting ready to play.”
And for sure, one thing won’t be on the post-game menu, or the plane ride home to New York.
“I don’t even want to think about wings. I will not eat wings for five years. I swear,” he said. “The thought of it makes me sick. I definitely would not eat wings again.”