When Giants ace Logan Webb was called up to the big leagues in 2019, he didn’t have much of a pregame routine.
That all changed after an unfortunate meal and some wise advice from former Giants catcher Stephen Vogt, Webb shared recently on the “Officially Unofficial” podcast.
“We were in St. Louis at the Ritz-Carlton, we had a day game the next day,” Webb explained to host Johnny Giunta and former Giants pitcher Tyler Beede. “... At that Ritz, they have a little sushi bar in the lobby.”
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Yeah, it’s pretty clear where this is headed. Most MLB pitchers have a set routine in the hours leading up to a start to avoid any, um, problems, and to make sure they perform at their best.
But back then, Webb wasn’t so seasoned yet.
“So I decided to eat sushi the night before [my start], couldn’t sleep, stomach killing me, s--tting all morning,” Webb said as Giunta and Beede laughed. “I get up -- no joke -- I start playing catch … as the anthem is starting. And I’m like, ‘This is the worst.’ I’m, like, hurting.”
After throwing “maybe” 15 warm-up pitches, Webb walked into a laughing Giants dugout. The St. Louis Cardinals starter that day, Dakota Hudson, had to wait to throw the game’s first pitch as Webb hurried in across the field.
San Francisco Giants
“Everyone’s laughing at me, and I’m like, ‘You guys shouldn’t be laughing right now. This is going to be a bad game,’ ” Webb continued.
Two-and-a-half innings and eight runs later, it certainly was not a good game for Webb, who was making his fourth MLB start.
After his rough outing, a young Webb received a word of advice from then-Giants catcher Stephen Vogt -- a wise veteran of the game who knows a thing or two about getting pitchers ready for a start.
“The next day Stephen Vogt, the best dude ever, sits me down,” Webb said. “He’s like, ‘Hey, you need to have a set routine where you start all your stuff at a certain time throughout the day. And then, say you do have stomach problems, you give yourself enough time just in case that happens.’
“So he told me that, and I just kind of went with it.”
Webb’s pregame routine now consists of three Red Bull energy drinks -- one sugar-free -- in the hours leading up to a start, along with a Smucker’s Uncrustable sandwich and a banana.
His other pregame activities include watching TikToks, chatting with his teammates and, of course, looking at scouting reports.
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Since 2019, Webb quickly has risen through the ranks to the top of San Francisco’s starting rotation.
And it turns out some of that success might be thanks to Stephen Vogt -- but definitely not hotel sushi.