How do MLB relievers train their minds to stay calm? By never, ever ever (ever) changing the routine.
There was a pitchers’ meeting across the hall in three minutes. There was a game in a few hours. But there was also a ping-pong table in the middle of a clubhouse in Texas, and bragging rights were on the line.
For Finnegan, Harvey, Rainey and Weems — all part of a dominant Nationals bullpen that’s handled a throng of low-scoring games this season — this is all part of the process. The most important part of that process? That it doesn’t change. The second-most important part? That is helps them calm down. So day after day, there is Finnegan, in a Nationals-themed Grateful Dead T-shirt, and Dylan Floro, wearing a sleeveless gray hoodie. Tanner Rainey can be found with his crossword and his football.
Yes, the bullpen has wobbled in a small sample as of late, pitching to a 4.72 ERA since May 26 that easily marks their worst stretch of the season. But the larger sample still paints a glowing picture. , he had a focus problem. He wanted to study the tendency of every hitter he might face. He wanted to see how they reacted as the game progressed. He didn’t pick up on how no one else was doing this. He also didn’t realize, until a few appearances had passed, that he was both overstimulated with information and exhausted from the mental toll of his studies by the time he entered.“I was so excited to be in the big leagues,” Finnegan said. “Everything was elevated.
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