Why Do Baseball Players Smell Their Bats?

Smelling baseball bats is something that players often do. Some people say it’s a myth, and it doesn’t mean anything.

But there are some reasons we have found after doing some research on it. We also have this question in mind: Why do baseball players smell their bats? So, in this article, we will try to present some real-life reasons for smelling baseball bats.

It may sound awkward to you, but yes, players have a deep relationship with their sports equipment. Like that, baseball players also have a relationship with their bats that gives them confidence.

Sometimes they smell, kiss, or speak their prayer, and it looks like they are smelling it. Let’s try to find out why they do that anyway.

Why Do Baseball Players Smell Their Bats?

Baseball players smell their bats because abrasion between the bat and a foul ball beget a smell of burning woods, as well as the bat is always a wooden bat.

Players describe the smell as a sweet flavor. After watching this, the only question that comes to mind is, why do baseball players smell their bats? Let’s know some interesting reasons.

Hit Foul Ball Makes a Different Smell On Bat

Those who regularly watch baseball are aware that not everyone smells the bat. However, the number of players or batters who have smelled the bat after hitting a ball during the game is no less.

Let’s first know the cause of this odor or its science. The extraordinary smell turns out after a perfect combination of a high speedy foul ball rubbing with a wood bat occurs.

When a speedy ball is fouled off the right track, it can leave a remaining smell that some baseball players or the batters enjoy. Some of the players who have dried this smell say that it is a sweet smell. Some say it is a smoky smell, and some of them have got the smell of pine wood in between.

Pine Tar Provides a Special Smell

Generally, baseball players always like to try many different tips and tricks to help them achieve something extreme over the competition. Adding a coating to their bat is one of the strategic ways for baseball players to take advantage.

Players put pine tar to improve their grip. The pine tar is usually used on the bat’s handle to not slip out of the hand when a batter is swinging the bat or when the bat is pushed hard.

A kind of fresh smell of pine wood is available from pine tar. A baseball player might want to take a whiff of the fresh pinewood smell to get refreshment.

Smelling Bat is a Task of Hitting Routine

Baseball players will each follow a unique pattern before hitting a foul ball. Some batters may pray to god; some provide themselves with a pep talk. At the same time, some stamp their feet, or some smell their bat for a whiff.

Baseball players maintain those several procedures before hitting to make themselves relax and be calm. Players have to focus on the pitcher before the pith players throw the ball fast.

This kind of activity of the batter or the smell of the bat before hitting the ball makes the opposing player fearful. They think that both the batter and his bat are robust and ready to make a good hit. And so, the batters traditionally follow the bat smell or other unique routine before hitting.

Baseball Players Talk to Their Bat Sometime

Another unique part of following the batters’ traditional routine before hitting is talking to the bat. Many batters often talk to the bat with the bat near the nose or mouth to concentrate on themselves before hitting the ball. And it seems from a distance that the player is smelling the bat.

Some players talk to their bat to increase their mental strength before taking a base hit. Some players miss the hit and get angry at the bat and urge him to get ready for the next hit. While talking to or smelling the bat before hitting the bat is all superstition, many still do it. Many people fail by applying this method.

Smelling Bat Provides Some Extra Energy

Some baseball players smell their bat because the burned wood smell comes from fouling a fast pitch. Some players get some kind of extra energy from this smell, which makes them hit the ball or re-energize the game.

Some new players start practicing something like smelling the bat from the beginning of their career as an integral part of the batting routine, which later becomes a habit of theirs.

Conclusion

In baseball, many players do they smell of bats and the work of this related batting routine. You may call it superstition or a habit, but things like the smell of this bat provide refreshments to the players. We have concluded that most players treat their bat-like special equipment in a shorter explanation.

After hitting the ball, they sense the smell like a sweet smell, but there’s a technique to create that smell every time. Players often try to check whether the sweet smell has been created or not — that’s why they smell it. We hope now you understand why do baseball players smell their bats.