The Main Event
Baseball has always been a sport where logic and irrational belief happily coexist. Players spend hours studying scouting reports and mechanics, then turn around and refuse to step on a foul line or change socks during a hot streak. The daily rhythm of the game, the long season, and the thin line between success and failure all help fuel superstition. Phillies history is full of players who leaned into that mindset, sometimes quietly and sometimes in ways that became part of their public identity.
Several Phillies have been known for small, repeatable habits that grounded them over the course of a season. Chase Utley was famously regimented in everything he did, from his pregame routine to how he prepared mentally. While Utley rarely talked about superstition outright, teammates noted that he followed the same warm-up patterns and preparation steps every day, believing consistency helped eliminate distractions. For Utley, control over routine was a way to control the chaos that baseball inevitably brings.
Pitchers and their personal rules
Pitchers, more than position players, cling to superstition, and the Phillies have had plenty of examples. Tug McGraw was known for his blend of humor and belief. McGraw embraced lucky charms and positive affirmations long before sports psychology became mainstream. He often talked about pitching with confidence as if it were magic, and his willingness to believe in something extra gave both him and his teammates a psychological edge during tense moments.
Catching vibes behind the plate
Catchers are deeply involved in every pitch, so it’s no surprise they develop their own quirks. Carlos Ruiz was known for subtle superstitions tied to game flow. Ruiz preferred sticking to the same equipment setup during winning streaks and was hesitant to change anything once the pitching staff was rolling. For him, superstition wasn’t flashy, but it was about respecting whatever invisible rhythm seemed to be working.
Sluggers can be especially superstitious because power often comes in streaks. Ryan Howard followed many of the classic hitter rituals, including sticking with the same bat models and batting gloves during productive stretches. Teammates have mentioned that Howard was reluctant to tweak anything when home runs were coming easily, believing that even small changes would upset the balance he’d found at the plate.
No discussion of Phillies superstition is complete without Brad Miller, better known in Philadelphia as “Bamboo” Brad Miller. During the 2019 season, Miller adopted a bamboo plant and brought it into the clubhouse and credited it with good vibes and offensive success. What started as a joke quickly turned into a full-blown superstition as the team went on a winning streak with Miller right in the middle of the success. The plant began traveling with the team and being carefully protected. Miller’s embrace of the bamboo symbol captured everything fans love about baseball superstition: it was lighthearted, weird, and oddly effective.
Why superstition sticks
What ties all these stories together is belief. Superstitions give players something steady in a game defined by failure. For Phillies players past and present, these rituals didn’t replace skill or preparation, but they offered comfort and confidence when nothing else felt controllable. In a sport where even the best fail most of the time, sometimes believing in lucky socks, a strict routine, or even a bamboo plant is exactly what gets you through 162 games.
Philadelphia Baseball Events for February 13
February 13, 1953 – The Philadelphia Athletics officially renamed Shibe Park as Connie Mack Stadium, honoring longtime owner and manager Connie Mack for his half-century of leadership. The venue remained a central fixture of Philadelphia baseball history for another two decades and would later serve as the Phillies’ home as well. (For more on Shibe Park / Connie Mack Stadium relive Stadium Week from PBN)
February 13, 2014 – The Philadelphia Phillies released veteran right-handed pitcher Chad Gaudin after he failed a physical during the early stages of spring training.
February 13, 2019 – The Philadelphia Phillies signed Aaron Nola to a four-year contract extension with a club option for a fifth season, locking up their homegrown ace and signaling a long-term commitment to building around elite starting pitching.
February 13, 2024 – The Phillies were active on the transaction wire, signing right-hander David Buchanan to a minor league contract with a spring training invitation, claiming Kaleb Ort off waivers, and outrighting Andrew Bellatti and Simon Muzziotti to Triple-A Lehigh Valley as part of late-winter roster shuffling.
MLB Baseball Events for February 13
February 13, 1995 – The Los Angeles Dodgers sign Japanese pitching star Hideo Nomo to a contract that includes a $2 million signing bonus. Nomo won 78 games for the Kintetsu Buffaloes over the past four seasons. The first Japanese player in the majors in three decades, he will become the National League Rookie of the Year this year.
ICYMI
PBN – Castellanos Exits; Leaves Scarlet Letters Behind
The Athletic – How the Phillies $100-Million marriage with Nick Castellanos ended in Divorce (subscription required) – This is THE story on the behind the scenes “Miami Incident.”
Philadelphia Inquirer by Alex Coffey – Ex-Phillie Vance Worley Will Pitch for Great Britain in the WBC
NBC Sports Philadelphia by Cole Weintraub – Phillies Outfield Not ‘Running it Back’ After Nick Castellanos Exit
97.5 The Phanatic by Dillon MacKinnon – Nick Castellanos Got More Slack Than Any Other Phillies Player
Philadelphia Baseball Birthdays for February 13
George Stutz (born 1889) was a shortstop who appeared briefly with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1926 after a long minor league career, gaining a reputation as an energetic and colorful infield presence. He played in just six MLB games and went 0-for-9 at the plate.
Tuck Turner (born 1945) was an outfielder who played parts of four seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies from 1893 through 1896, batting .380/.434/.492/.926 in 190 games.
Mike Mimbs (born 1974) was a right-handed pitcher who appeared with the Phillies from 1995 through 1997, including a memorable start in 1997 when he shut out the New York Yankees in Yankee Stadium.
Kevin Stocker (born 1970) was a switch-hitting shortstop who played with the Phillies from 1993 through 1997, serving as the club’s primary shortstop during the post-1993 transition years and later returning as a broadcaster.
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